Improving youth question-asking and provider education during pediatric asthma visits.
Betsy Sleath, Delesha M Carpenter, Scott A Davis and 6 others
PMID 29402570WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents given a pre-visit video and question list were more likely to ask about asthma medications (40% vs 20%), triggers and environmental control; providers taught more about rescue medications, triggers and environmental control, but not control medications.
Key findings
01Youth who received the video and question prompt list were significantly more likely to ask at least one question about asthma medications (40% vs 20%), triggers (16% vs 2%), and environmental control.
02Providers were significantly more likely to educate intervention-group youth about rescue medications (78% vs 60%), asthma triggers (59% vs 46%), and environmental control, but were equally likely to educate about control medications.
03Caregivers of youth in the intervention group were not significantly more likely to ask questions about asthma medications, triggers, or environmental control.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in four pediatric clinics in North Carolina, so it may not apply to other regions or practice types. The team did not know how many referred patients chose not to speak with the research assistant, so some patients may have been missed. Three visits were not properly audio-tape recorded and were excluded from the primary outcome analysis. Providers may have become unblinded if they noticed the adolescent using the question prompt list during the visit. The team did not code whether provider education happened before or after the adolescent asked questions, so the order of those behaviours is unclear. The video and question prompt list were delivered together, so the separate contribution of each component cannot be determined. The trial reported communication during visits, not asthma symptoms, adherence, or other clinical outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors reported no relevant financial relationships. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the video and question prompt list improve asthma control, medication adherence, or symptoms. The trial measured whether adolescents asked questions and whether providers gave education during visits; clinical outcomes were not reported.