Education for asthma care: lessons from Ireland

Despite the increase in prevalence of asthma among children and the importance of appropriate professional training in asthma management, no programme of study in children's asthma care was available to nurses in Ireland. A professional development module was designed to meet the education needs of nurses caring for children with asthma and their families. The module has theoretical and practical elements that are reflected in both module delivery and assessment. It was evaluated using a Likert scale questionnaire and focus group interviews with 15 students. The results indicate a high degree of student satisfaction with the module. Students reported changes in practice as a result of greater confidence, increased knowledge and improved skills. Future evaluation should include the ongoing impact on practice as well as the perspectives of service users and managers.