Utilidad de la educación en asma bronquial infantil: experiencia piloto

Abstract

Introduction: Even though asthmatic children in Chile have a guaranteed access to treatment, an important number of them have a severe adverse evolution, requiring hospitalization. Education in bronchial asthma is fundamental in the management of these patients, just as pharmacological therapy, as yet most Health Centers in our country do not hold educational activities. Patients and Methods: A pilot prospective study was carried out to evaluate the usefulness of bronchial asthma education, in a group of 12 patients hospitalized for asthma crisis in Clínica Santa María, Santiago de Chile. Patients were randomized in 2 groups, 7 patients receiving formal educational activities and 5 patients receiving the standard information given by their physician. Patients were followed 2, 6 and 12 months after discharge. Results: All studied patients exhibited an improvement in asthma control measured by Asthma Control Test -ACT-, as well as an improvement in quality of life, measured by a questionnaire (PaQLQ). Nonetheless, patients that received the educational activities did attend the Emergency Room less frequently and required less systemic corticosteroid treatments during the study than the patients that did not undergo formal education on asthma. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that asthma education is a useful tool for patients, in order to achieve a better control of the disease.