Increasing Patient Confidence in Managing Asthma using Asthma Action Plans

Asthma is a common illness affecting 8% of the US population and costing $81.9 billion per year.1,2 Due to its chronic and variable nature, asthmatics need frequent medication adjustments, making management challenging for both physicians and patients. Studies show that patients can control their asthma using an asthma action plan (AAP), which includes directions for daily self-assessment, baseline medications and steps to facilitate detection and treatment of an exacerbation. Self-management education using AAPs is associated with a reduction in hospital admissions and ED visits by 40% and 20%, respectively.3 Despite evidence that AAPs are efficacious, the underlying reason for their success is not well understood.4 One hypothesis is that AAP implementation can increase patient confidence in managing asthma; however the literature regarding this topic is limited. Thus, the aim of our study was to determine whether AAP implementation leads to increased patient confidence in managing asthma