Date of Award
Spring 6-2023
Scholarly Projects
Projects: SPU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
Faculty Chair
Bethany Rolfe Witham
Faculty Reader
Carol McFarland
Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Background and Significance: Asthma is a growing financial concern in the United States. It is estimated that the annual cost of asthma management in America is around 82 million dollars (AAFA, 2020). Unfortunately, asthma is a complex condition that can play a detrimental role in the health of patients and their families. Asthma education has been seen as a solution to mitigate these concerns. However, without proper asthma education, patients experience exacerbations of their asthma symptoms, increasing the number of emergency room visits (Gao et al., 2020 & Guarnaccia et al., 2017). In addition, asthma exacerbation can cause patients and their families to miss work or school. These missed days can impact the patient’s physical and emotional health, development, and overall quality of life (Gao et al., 2020; Guarnaccia et al., 2017; Mishra et al., 2017).
Purpose: The purpose of this project was twofold. The first purpose was to provide education to increase patients' overall asthma knowledge and confidence in managing symptoms. In providing education, the main objective was to determine whether introducing educational resources for asthma patients could improve their understanding of this disease process. The second purpose was to examine whether educational resources could help the participants improve their asthma management.
Methods: This was a quality improvement project that utilized a pre-test and post-test design. Participants were recruited from an allergy and immunology clinic in Washington. The patient online KLARA system was used to distribute material and meet with participants. All participants in this study were diagnosed with asthma and were prescribed medications to treat their asthma. A total of 15 participants, aged seven to over 50, agreed to participate in this study. Participants were asked to fill out a pre-survey questionnaire which included demographic information, a short asthma knowledge assessment, a few short answer questions, and eight Likert-style questions. Once the survey was completed, a 1:1 meeting was scheduled with each participant to review the intervention, which was the educational booklet. The booklet covered asthma symptoms, triggers, medications, action plans, and proper use of a spacer. Once the educational meeting was completed, participants were asked to complete a post-survey.
Analysis: Results of the knowledge section of the survey showed that using an educational intervention increased overall knowledge by over 10%. Results of the Likert-scale questions regarding confidence in managing asthma demonstrated that participants felt more confident in managing their asthma after receiving a 1:1 education.
Sustainability: This project demonstrated the positive impact of education in helping patients increase their asthma knowledge and overall confidence in managing asthma. Several aspects need to be taken into account to promote the sustainability of this project. First, educational resources should be stored in an online location easily accessible by patients and clinic staff. Secondly, is to train clinic staff on how to distribute the education and perform educational meetings. Lastly, is to dedicate human and financial resources to continue 1:1 asthma educational meetings with new patients.
Implications for Practice: Providing 1:1 asthma education and a booklet with information covering general asthma topics has been demonstrated to improve patient's knowledge of asthma and confidence in managing their disease. The increased knowledge can improve the overall management of their disease process and reduce the number of emergency room visits and missed work/ school days. The study results showed that education continues to be a vital aspect of patient care. The hope is that from these results, other providers might also see the importance of utilizing educational resources to help their patients be informed regarding their medical conditions.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, (2020). Asthma Disparities in America: A \ Roadmap to Reducing Burden on Racial and Ethnic Minorities. https://www.aafa.org/asthmadisparities
Gao, G., Liao, Y., Mo, L., Gong, Y., Shao, X., & Li, J. (2018). A randomized controlled trial of a nurse-led education pathway for asthmatic children from outpatient to home. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 26(3), Article e12823. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.12823
Guarnaccia, S., Quecchia, C., Festa, A., Magoni, M., moneda, M., Gretter, V., Scarcella, C., Pluda, A., Gasparotti, C., Frassine, M., Vitale, L., D'Agata, E., Liminia, R., & Donato, F. (2018). Evaluation of a diagnostic, therapeutic, educational pathway for asthma management in youth. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 29(2), 180-185. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.12839
Mishra R., Kashif, M., Venkatram, S., George, T., Luo, K., & Diaz-Fuentes, G. (2017). Role of adult asthma education in improving asthma control and reducing emergency room utilization and hospital admissions in an inner city hospital. Canadian Respiratory Journal, 2017(), Article e5681962. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5681962
Recommended Citation
Alsin, Anna Lynn, "Effectiveness of asthma education on patient's general asthma knowledge and self-confidence in managing their disease: A quality improvment study" (2023). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects. 61.
https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/shs_dnp/61