[Information seeking and decision making in asthmatic patients]

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Patient Education
• Healthcare Decision-Making

Background:

• Effective asthma management relies on patient cooperation and informed decision-making.
• Current guidelines emphasize patient involvement in controlling asthma.
• Understanding patient preferences for information and decision-making is crucial for optimizing therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess adult asthma patients' desire for information regarding their condition.
• To evaluate patients' willingness to actively participate in managing their asthma.
• To explore the relationship between patient characteristics and their preferences for information and decision-making.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 95 adult asthma patients in stable condition.
• Utilized the Spanish version of the questionnaire on autonomy in asthma.
• Assessed preferences for information seeking (PSI) and decision-making (PDM) across different asthma severity scenarios.

Main Results:

• Patients expressed a strong interest in receiving asthma information (PSI: 86.4 ± 8.7).
• Patients showed significantly less desire for active decision-making in their treatment (PDM: 45 ± 10.2).
• Older age and severe asthma (guideline-defined) correlated with increased desire for information, but not decision-making.

Conclusions:

• Adult asthma patients are eager for information but hesitant to make treatment decisions.
• Educational programs should focus on empowering patients for self-management.
• Tailored interventions are needed to bridge the gap between information seeking and active participation in asthma care.