Real-world Drivers Behind Communication, Medication Adherence, and Shared Decision Making In Minority Adults with...

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the foundation of asthma management. However, ICS non-adherence is common. Black adults have lower ICS adherence than white adults, which likely contributes, in part, to the asthma disparities that Black adults experience.

To explore how Black adults with uncontrolled asthma and their primary care providers communicated about ICS non-adherence and used shared decision-making to identify strategies to increase ICS use.

Eighty routine clinical visits for uncontrolled asthma were audio recorded and inductively analyzed using methods adapted from grounded theory methodology.

Study participants included 80 Black adults (83% female) largely low-income (83% Medicaid) and their 10 primary care providers. The study settings were 2 Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Three overarching themes were identified: (1) ICS misuse and lack of knowledge; (2) external influences informed personal misconceptions about ICS; and (3) patient-provider communication to individualize plan of care.

Reasons for ICS non-adherence in Black adults with uncontrolled asthma offer potential targets for interventions that facilitate enhanced adherence. Future research should include PCP training on strategies that support patient-centered care, such as communication, shared decision-making and patient engagement.