The effects of asthma education on asthma knowledge and health-related quality of life in Taiwanese asthma patients.

Background: Patient education is a critical component of asthma management. Limited data from longitudinal research studies are available from Taiwan to show the effect of asthma education on knowledge and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in asthma patients.
Purpose: This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of an asthma education program on asthma general knowledge and HRQOL in Taiwanese patients with asthma during a 6-month follow-up period.
Methods: One hundred eighteen patients were recruited using purposive sampling, 42 of whom were enrolled in an asthma education program and 76 of whom received routine care. Measurements were completed at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after enrollment. Over the 6 months of follow-up, asthma knowledge was measured using the Chinese language version of the asthma general knowledge questionnaire for adults, whereas HRQOL was measured using the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ).
Results: Asthma knowledge increased significantly in the intervention group as compared with the comparison group (p < .001), and Group x Month interaction effects were found. Total SGRQ mean score and the three subscales showed no significant differences between intervention and comparison groups. However, overall SGRQ trends and subscale scores for both groups decreased significantly through the first, third, and sixth months.
Conclusions and Implications for Practice: We observed an increase in asthma general knowledge but no significant improvement in HRQOL using an asthma structured-education program.