[Therapeutic education of the asthmatic patient: the presentation of the general practitioner]

Therapeutic education is part of the recommendations for management of asthmatics. The general practitioner (GP) is an essential link in the management and his/her presentation of education plays an important role in how it is received. This study examines the presentation of therapeutic education by GP's.

21 GP's took part in a qualitative enquiry bearing on the following themes: "the asthmatic" and "education of the asthmatic patient". The interviews were analysed by the ALCESTE software programme (Analysis of co- occurrent leximes in the wording of a text) which allows the extraction of the major significant structures of a text.

It was found that GP's associate therapeutic education with education in general. They evoke self-teaching tools while they retain the group as the most relevant structure. The notions of time and background treatment were separated. The idea of patient autonomy did not appear spontaneously in the discussion even though it is the foundation of the concept. Analysis of the discussion illustrates the gap that exists between the concepts upon which the recommendations are based and presentation of therapeutic education to asthmatics by GP's.

Training of GP's appears to be an essential condition for the development of therapeutic education.