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. 2018 Apr;18(3):317-323.
doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2018.01.006. Epub 2018 Jan 31.

Knowledge of Inhaled Therapy and Responsibility for Asthma Management Among Young Teens With Uncontrolled Persistent Asthma

Sean M Frey  1 , Marybeth R Jones  2 , Nicolas Goldstein  2 , Kristin Riekert  3 , Maria Fagnano  2 , Jill S Halterman  2
Affiliations

Knowledge of Inhaled Therapy and Responsibility for Asthma Management Among Young Teens With Uncontrolled Persistent Asthma

Sean M Frey et al. Acad Pediatr. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the abilities of teens with uncontrolled persistent asthma and their caregivers to identify inhaled medications and state correct indications for use; examine medication responsibility within dyads; and determine whether responsibility is associated with knowledge about inhaled therapies.

Methods: In the baseline survey for the School-Based Asthma Care for Teens (SB-ACT) trial, we separately asked caregivers and teens to: 1) identify the teen's inhaled asthma therapies by name and from a picture chart (complete matches considered "concordant"); 2) describe indications of use for each medication; and 3) describe the allocation of responsibility for medication use within dyads. We limited analyses to dyads in which either member reported at least one rescue and one inhaled controller medication; we used McNemar and Pearson chi-square tests.

Results: A total of 136 dyads were analyzed. More caregivers than teens concordantly identified medications (63% vs 31%, P < .001). There was no difference between caregivers and teens in the ability to state correct indications for use (56% vs 54%, P = .79). More teens than caregivers endorsed "full teen responsibility" for rescue medication (65% vs 27%, P < .001) and controller medication use (50% vs 15%, P < .001). Neither concordant identification nor knowing indications for use was associated with reported medication responsibility.

Conclusions: Medication responsibility within dyads of caregivers and teens with persistent asthma is not associated with knowledge about inhaled therapies. Targeting both members of the dyad with education and self-management strategies before responsibility transitions start may allow providers to avoid a missed opportunity to support these emerging stakeholders to adherence.

Keywords: asthma; childhood; medication identification; prevention; primary care; responsibility.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest:

None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Responsibility and Knowledge of Tnhaled Rescue Medications Figure 1a. Responsibility for Rescue Medications Figure 1b. Medication knowledge compared by caregiver report of responsibility Figure 1c. Medication knowledge compared by teen report of responsibility
Figure 2
Figure 2
Responsibility and Knowledge of Inhaled Controller Medications Figure 2a. Responsibility for Controller Medications Figure 2b. Medication knowledge compared by caregiver report of responsibility Figure 2c. Medication knowledge compared by teen report of responsibility
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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