Review: self management education for adults with asthma improves health outcomes
Question Is education in self management plus regular review by doctors or nurse practitioners effective in improving health outcomes for adults with asthma?
Data sources
Studies were identified using Medline, Embase/Excerpta Medica, and CINAHL with the terms asthma or wheeze and education or self management. Bibliographies of studies were scanned and 16 respiratory journals and meeting abstracts from 3 specialty societies were handsearched.
Study selection
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were selected if the patients were predominantly adults with confirmed asthma, the intervention included education related to asthma and its management, and the outcomes included any of hospital admissions, emergency department visits, unscheduled doctor visits, days lost from work or school, forced expiratory volume at 1 second, peak expiratory flow, use of rescue β agonists, course of oral corticosteroids, symptom scores, quality of life scores, or economic outcomes.
Data extraction
Data were extracted on study quality, patient and disease characteristics, educational interventions, …
