Pharmacist provided education and counseling for managing pediatric asthma

A program to promote and assess the provision of family directed counseling by pharmacists on the understanding of pediatric asthma is discussed. The program consisted of two questionnaires separated by an educational intervention program. The initial questionnaire was developed to evaluate participants' understanding of asthma and its management. The aim of the intervention program was to improve this understanding through counseling, demonstration, and sharing of families' experiences with asthma. The second questionnaire assessed post-intervention knowledge including short-term retention of information. Before the intervention, few participants (14%) indicated that they were counseled by a pharmacist about the safe and effective use of asthma medications. Seventy-nine percent indicated that more information would aid them in better understanding asthma and possibly better controlling their child's illness. After the intervention, participants were able to correctly answer questions about asthma and medications used to manage the disease 78% of the time. This program offers one method for pharmacists to become involved in patient care through the provision of education and counseling. It also provides an avenue to encourage patients and their families to gain a deeper understanding of asthma and its management.