[Impact of therapeutic education on knowledge, adherence, asthma control, and respiratory function in asthmatic patients: A 6-month follow-up]

Abstract

Introduction: Therapeutic patient education (TPE) is a key component in the management of asthma. This study aims to assess the impact of TPE on disease control, treatment adherence, lung function, and the frequency of hospitalizations and emergency visits.

Methods: A pilot study followed by an interventional study was conducted on 47 asthmatic patients at CHU Issaad Hassani in Algiers. The participants attended TPE sessions and were evaluated at multiple time points: T0 (before TPE), T4 (4 weeks), T8 (8 weeks), T12 (12 weeks), and T24 (24 weeks).

Results: The findings show a significant improvement in patients' knowledge, treatment adherence, and asthma control. A notable progression in inhaler technique (IT) was also observed. Additionally, the number of hospitalizations significantly decreased after TPE, while emergency visits showed no significant change. Regarding lung function, an improvement in the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) was observed in the short term (T12) but not in the long term (T24).

Conclusion: These results confirm the effectiveness of TPE in improving asthma patient management. Integrating TPE into care protocols, along with regular follow-up, is essential to optimize asthma control and enhance patients' quality of life.

Keywords: Asthma; Asthma control; Asthme; Contrôle de l’asthme; Patient therapeutic education; Éducation thérapeutique.