Developing "My Asthma Diary": a process exemplar of a patient-driven arts-based knowledge translation tool

Area of Science:

• Health communication
• Knowledge translation
• Pediatric health

Background:

• Family-centered education is crucial for childhood asthma management.
• Current educational methods fail to meet parents' information needs.
• Arts-based approaches show promise for health information dissemination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an innovative knowledge translation tool, "My Asthma Diary," tailored to parents' asthma information needs.
• To create patient-driven educational materials leveraging storytelling and the arts.
• To address the gap in effective educational strategies for parents of children with asthma.

Main Methods:

• A multi-stage process was used to develop four eBook prototypes.
• Formative research identified parents' information needs and quality evidence on childhood asthma.
• Interdisciplinary teams of researchers, practitioners, and artists were established.

Main Results:

• The development process incorporated parents' preferences, research evidence, and arts-based methods.
• Four dominant challenges were identified: interdisciplinary teamwork, information organization, narrative creation, and balancing management scenarios.
• The iterative, transdisciplinary approach integrated diverse expertise.

Conclusions:

• A replicable, rigorous approach for developing patient-driven, creative knowledge translation tools was established.
• The developed tool, "My Asthma Diary," is adaptable for various populations and contexts.
• Methodological and procedural challenges encountered offer valuable insights for future research in creative knowledge translation.