Improving pediatrician knowledge about environmental triggers of asthma

Control of environmental triggers (ETs) greatly improves asthma outcomes in children. Disseminating these findings to general pediatricians has not been well established.

After delivering a structured and standardized presentation on ET identification and control to pediatricians, we surveyed them about knowledge and practices of ET assessment and management. We analyzed matched responses for pre/post and 3- to 6-month follow-up using McNemar's χ(2) test.

Matched data were available for 367 participants, and 3- to 6-month follow-up data were available for 83. There was a significant posttraining increase in intention to ask about ETs and recommend ET management. After 3 to 6 months, all responses remained significantly higher than baseline, except "likely to refer to an asthma specialist."

Pediatricians reported a significant improvement in knowledge about ETs of asthma and a willingness to incorporate exposure history questions and remediation recommendations in their routine practice.