Can interactive parental education impact health care utilization in pediatric asthma: A study in rural Texas

Abstract

ObjectiveIt is well known that parent/patient education helps to reduce the burden of asthma in urban areas, but data are scarce for rural areas. This study explored the impact of asthma education in Ector County, a rural part of Health Services Region 9 in Texas, which has one of the highest prevalence rates of asthma in the state.MethodsThis prospective study investigated an interactive asthma education intervention in pediatric patients aged 2–18 years and their caregivers. Change in parental/caregiver knowledge about their child’s asthma along with frequency of missed school days, emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions was obtained via telephone surveys before and after the educational intervention was delivered.ResultsThe study enrolled 102 pediatric patients and their parents/caregivers. Asthma education was associated with significantly fewer school absences, ED visits and hospitalizations. Parents/caregivers reported feeling better educated, knowing what triggers an asthma exacerbation, identifying the signs of a severe asthma attack in their child, feeling confident about managing asthma and feeling that the asthma was under control.ConclusionAsthma education of caregivers and children was associated with better symptom management and fewer acute exacerbations, pointing to the relevance and importance of asthma education among pediatric patients in rural areas.

Impact of Nurse-Led Asthma Intervention on Child Health Outcomes: A Scoping Review

“…These studies showed improved knowledge scores postintervention. Agusala et al (2018) recommended involving parents in asthma programs and indicated that parents reported increased knowledge in managing asthma symptoms and triggers. It is, therefore, clear that parents’ education was also associated with a reduction in health care utilization ( Agusala et al, 2018 ).…”

“… Agusala et al (2018) recommended involving parents in asthma programs and indicated that parents reported increased knowledge in managing asthma symptoms and triggers. It is, therefore, clear that parents’ education was also associated with a reduction in health care utilization ( Agusala et al, 2018 ). It is important to note that asthma knowledge can be improved through educational programs; however, knowledge improvement does not necessarily reflect an improvement in care practice.…”

Nonurgent Visits to the Pediatric Emergency Department before and during the First Peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Given that overcrowding due to nonurgent visits is an increasing challenge for pediatric EDs [ 6 , 7 ], there have been numerous attempts to reduce the number of nonurgent visits by educational measures [ 36 , 37 ]. A British randomized, prospective cohort study compared two groups of parents to assess the impact of a short educational video, shown to them during an ED visit for minor complaints [ 37 ].…”

“…Even though knowledge and assessment of childhood fever improved, ED use for minor complaints did not decrease. On the other hand, a study carried out in Texas, United States, evaluating educational measures for parents of children with asthma, showed that parental education is related with a better understanding and situational evaluation of the disease and boosts self-confidence in handling asthmatic spells [ 36 ]. Although this study does not distinguish between urgent and nonurgent cases, the number of times children with asthma was presented in the pediatric ED and was significantly reduced after these educational measures.…”

Estrategias de intervención de los padres de niños asmáticos con modelos anatómicos educativos

“…Se debe tener en cuenta que la variabilidad de la enfermedad va a producir gran ansiedad en el paciente y su familia, ocasionando dependencia importante a los centros de salud, lo que ocasiona un mayor costo y peor calidad de vida (Gallucci et al, 2019) En la actualidad no existe un tratamiento curativo del asma, por lo tanto, es fundamental el adecuado control, para mejorar la calidad de vida del paciente. En los últimos años han surgido guías clínicas para su manejo, pero a pesar de su amplia divulgación, la enfermedad sigue sin un control adecuado, estas guías clínicas promulgan la necesidad de la educación como un escalón más en la terapéutica del paciente asmático (Ortega & Pellegrini, 2012) Existen pocos estudios que han evaluado la educación realizada de padres de niños asmáticos en un centro de salud, durante el seguimiento posterior o durante una hospitalización (Agusala et al, 2018), lo que motivo el interés para la presente investigación, con el objetivo de realizar una intervención educativa que desarrolle un superaprendizaje para el control del asma en los padres y representantes utilizando modelos anatómicos…”