A Training Program for Certified Asthma Educators: Assessing Performance

Abstract

Participants of an asthma educator training program represent a wide range of disciplines, practice settings, and experience. It is important that asthma educator training programs assess both written knowledge and practice assessments to evaluate participants.

Standardized Patients

“…SPs have been used in the evaluation of a variety of programs, from brief individual communication training courses with a limited set of objectives to more comprehensive public health programs designed to affect both community-and individuallevel changes. Among the types of intervention outcomes that have previously been assessed using SPs are learners' interpersonal communication skills, teaching strategies, shared decision-making practices, motivational interviewing or behavior adherence counseling skills, the provision of specific products and services such as contraceptives, and individual perceptions of the service environment (Cicutto, Burns, & Brown, 2005;Delvaux et al, 2005;Meuwissen, Gorter, Kester, & Knottnerus, 2006;Renju et al, 2010). Typical examples include the evaluation of training programs designed to teach practitioners how to use health promotion and behavior change counseling skills by having learners videotape several interactions with SPs at the end of the training program to determine possible deficits in the training that would need to be considered in future programs (Cicutto et al, 2005;Roseby, Marks, Conn, & Sawyer, 2003;Spollen et al, 2010).…”

Assessment and Management of Patients with Chronic Cough by Certified Respiratory Educators: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…for dealing with exacerbations (3). They are also trained to counsel patients regarding smoking cessation techniques and to perform basic spirometry.…”

“…Patients with an abnormal chest radiograph, hemoptysis, a history of cancer or lung disease, other significant comorbidities such as congestive heart failure, or systemic symptoms require a complete evaluation by a physician to determine whether they have a life-threatening disease. However, in the absence of sinister features, patients are likely to have one or a combination of asthma, an upper airway condition or gastroesophageal reflux responsible for their cough; conditions that CREs have been trained to recognize as part of the differential diagnosis of asthma (3,(7)(8)(9)(10). Other common causes include postinfectious cough, cigarette smoking, medication-induced cough (most commonly due to an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) and laryngeal irritation (8).…”