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Asthma knowledge in hospital patients with acute severe asthma
K T Batty1, F S Gardiner, P A Kendall
1Fremantle Hospital, WA.
Objectives:
To assess patient knowledge about asthma management and to assess the risk of asthma-associated morbidity in patients admitted to hospital with acute severe asthma.
Subjects And Setting:
Patients admitted to Fremantle Hospital with a primary diagnosis of acute severe asthma from July to September 1992.
Results:
Bronchodilator therapy has been used for more than 12 months by all 25 previously diagnosed asthmatics, with 88% knowing that the drug was a bronchodilator. Corticosteroid therapy had been used by 84% of patients but only 52% of these knew that it was anti-inflammatory or "preventive" medication. Sixty per cent of patients did not recall seeing National Asthma Campaign advertisements. Twenty-three patients (88%) were classified as being at high risk of morbidity.
Conclusions:
The level of knowledge about asthma management in patients admitted to this hospital is poor. Most patients are at high risk of asthma-associated morbidity.