African Americans Want a Focus on Shared Decision-Making in Asthma Adherence Interventions

Area of Science:

• Health Disparities
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are crucial for managing asthma, reducing morbidity and mortality.
• African American (AA) adults exhibit higher rates of ICS non-adherence compared to White adults, contributing to significant asthma disparities.
• Understanding patient perspectives is key to addressing non-adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore perspectives of AA adults with asthma, their families, and friends on improving ICS adherence.
• To identify strategies for addressing ICS non-adherence and reducing asthma disparities.

Main Methods:

• Six focus groups were conducted with AA adult asthma patients, their family/friends, and mixed groups.
• Qualitative descriptive methodology and conventional content analysis were employed.
• Participants included 32 patients and 14 family/friends.

Main Results:

• Participants emphasized the need for feeling heard, respected, and receiving patient-centered care.
• Providers highlighting the risks of ICS non-adherence during clinic visits was suggested as an improvement strategy.
• The described elements align with shared decision-making (SDM).

Conclusions:

• AA adults with asthma desire SDM to enhance ICS adherence.
• Insights gained can inform the development of SDM interventions for clinical practice.
• Provider-delivered, patient-informed strategies during routine visits can help reduce asthma disparities.