Effect of an individualized education program on asthma control and health-related quality of life in adult asthma patients: A prospective study

Introduction: Asthma can place considerable limitations on the physical, emotional, social and professional lives of patients, with substantial negative impact on quality of life (QOL). Indeed, education enhances the feasibility of asthma self-management Aim: To determine the effectiveness of an education program for the method of using inhalation devices(ID) to improve the control of asthma and the quality of life of asthmatic patients. Methods: Prospective study including 50 patients with asthma. All patients are educated on using an ID. The patient9s quality of life was evaluated using the SF36 questionnaire before and 3 months after educational intervention.The disease control was evaluated before and after education. Results: A total of 50 patients are enrolled in the study .Before counseling, none of the patients were able to follow all steps of use of inhalers effectively.Indeed, the average number of mistakes done when using inhalers were 8among 9 steps for pressurized metered-dose inhalers versus 3 among 10 steps for dry powder inhalers.After counseling ,90% of patients show an appropriate inhalation technique.The level of disease control is better after education for 70% of patients. Significant differences were observed after education (AE) in domains of SF36: physical functioning (p Conclusion: A planned inhaler training given to the patients with asthma was found to decrease attack frequency and dyspnea, and improve the quality of life.