Asthma knowledge among internal medicine residents

To assess the medical knowledge about asthma among residents from the Accreditation Council on Graduate Education (ACGME) accredited Internal Medicine programs.

Asthma prevalence and morbidity has increased significantly in the last 20 years. Recent morbidity data suggests that approximately 14 to 15 million Americans suffer from asthma and 5,000 of them die annually due to this illness. Previous studies have suggested that Puerto Ricans are disproportionally affected by asthma. In order to impact both morbidity and mortality relates to asthma, primary care givers should be knowledgeable about the disease.

Based in the 1993 National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines, a questionnaire was developed to evaluate the knowledge of asthma in physicians in the Internal Medicine Residency Programs. It consisted of 27 questions covering the areas of diagnosis and treatment of asthma.

The questionnaire was answered by 90% of the 138 residents active at the moment of the study. Fifty-one percent of the residents failed to obtain a score of 70% or greater. Score on asthma diagnosis was less than 70% and did not improve through year of training. Score obtained on asthma treatment improved through training year although no statistical difference was obtained.

In view of these results it is imperative to reinforce the state of the art asthma education of physicians. Research initiatives must evaluate educational strategies to improve asthma education.