Related Experiment Videos
Asthma severity: the patient's perspective
Barbara P Yawn1, George E Fryer, David Lanier
1Department of Research, Olmsted Medical Center, Rochester, Minnesota 55904, USA. yawnX002@umn.edu
Summary
Most patients and parents view their asthma as serious, but their severity ratings differ from clinical measures. This highlights a need for better communication and shared goals in asthma management.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Limited epidemiological data exists on asthma severity distribution and patient-reported severity.
- Understanding patient and parent perspectives on asthma severity is lacking.
- Previous analyses have not focused on patient self-assessment of asthma severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze patient-reported asthma severity using a large, nationally diverse sample.
- To identify factors associated with self-reported asthma severity.
- To compare patient perspectives with clinical definitions of asthma severity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 1999 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (household and event files).
- Focused on a subgroup that completed the chronic disease portion of the survey.
- Analyzed patient-reported asthma severity, healthcare utilization, medication usage, and personal characteristics.
Main Results:
- 63% of adults and 65% of children reported their asthma as very or somewhat serious.
- More severe self-reported asthma correlated with increased missed work/school days and lower health status.
- Clinical criteria (NAEPP) explained less than 10% of the variation in self-reported asthma severity.
Conclusions:
- Patient and parent metrics for asthma severity differ from those used by clinicians.
- A need exists for a more universally understood asthma severity measure.
- Improved communication and shared therapeutic goals between patients and clinicians are essential.