Asthma Research Unit - Research Poster

Asthma Research Unit Posters

A Qualitative Investigation of Treatment
goals and Asthma Severity

Presented at the
National Asthma Campaign Conference
June 1999, in London

K Steven, FM Sullivan, RG Neville,
G Hoskins, B Alder, N Drummond

Hypothesis

Asthma severity influences patients' perceptions of treatment goals, in terms both of the types of goal and their degree of importance.

Aim

To explore the type and importance of asthma treatment goals:

across the range of objective asthma severity
across the range of perceived asthma severity.
in relation to perceived control over asthma.
in the context of life goals.

Method

Sample
Adults with asthma aged 16-24 and 35-44 in Depcats 1-7 in Tayside.

48 adults on BTS steps 1-5, at least one asthma prescription in previous 12 months

1^ocare (1 primary care attendance)	2^o care (1 outpatient inpatient or attendance)

2 focus groups, each of 8 respondents
Focus group of 8 asthma nurses	Focus group of 8 GPs
Exclusion criteria:
Diagosis of any other current confounding disease eg. other respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease as they may cause symptms difficult to distinuguish from asthma. Diagnosis of current psychiatric or severe psychological disease as this may interfere with interviewing and perception of asthma. asthma diagnosed less than two years ago.

Analysis

in depth interview (about 1 hour) in subject’s home, based on a topic guide

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interview tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim

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send a copy of the interview transcript to each respondent
read the transcripts to identify the key themes

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separate coding of the transcripts for the themes

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discuss the emerging hypothesis with focus groups

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model of the relationship between perceived goals and behaviour

Potential contribution of study to asthma research

To broaden the scope of evidence based medicine in asthma.

To explore the treatment goals of adults with asthma of varying severity and service use in the everyday context of competing imperatives (such as family and work).
To gain a deeper understanding of patient’s priorities in asthma treatment.
To understand the perspectives of health professionals involved in asthma care in relation to goal setting and attainment

For further information on the Asthma Research Unit, please contact:
Tayside Centre for General Practice
University of Dundee
Kirsty Semple Way
Dundee DD2 4BF
Scotland
Tel : +44 (0)1382 420000
Fax :+44 (0)1382 420010
aru@tcgp.dundee.ac.uk

Updated by Mark Stewart: Tuesday, November 6, 2001