Document Detail


Patients' views of the burden of asthma: a qualitative study.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  12225275     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVES: To explore the burden of asthma on the lives of people presenting to hospital emergency departments for asthma treatment. DESIGN: A qualitative study. Consenting individuals with asthma who presented to emergency departments were interviewed in-depth, and interviews were taped, transcribed and thematically analysed. Questionnaire data on medication use, respiratory health and asthma knowledge were also collected. Asthma severity was determined from the medical records. SETTING: A tertiary teaching hospital and a suburban hospital during March and April 2000, and a rural hospital during July and August 2000. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-two participants (19 male and 43 female), aged 18-70 years. RESULTS: The burden of asthma was broad, affecting social life, personal relationships, employment and finances. The cost of asthma medication was an issue for nearly two-thirds of participants. Individuals performed their own "cost-benefit analysis" for medication use, weighing up expense, perceived side effects and potential benefits. As a consequence, several participants chose to alter their medication dose, or not to take prescribed medications. For some participants, asthma directly contributed to diminished employment opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: To achieve a therapeutic partnership, doctors need to be aware of the substantial social, personal and financial burden of asthma for their patients. They should also recognise that patients' perceptions of treatment cost may compromise treatment adherence.
Authors:
Dianne P Goeman; Rosalie A Aroni; Kay Stewart; Susan M Sawyer; Francis C K Thien; Michael J Abramson; Jo A Douglass
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Medical journal of Australia     Volume:  177     ISSN:  0025-729X     ISO Abbreviation:  Med. J. Aust.     Publication Date:  2002 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2002-09-12     Completed Date:  2002-11-06     Revised Date:  2006-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0400714     Medline TA:  Med J Aust     Country:  Australia    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  295-9     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Alfred Hospital and Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Adult
Anti-Asthmatic Agents / adverse effects,  economics
Asthma* / economics
Australia
Drug Costs
Employment
Female
Health Care Costs*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Quality of Life*
Sick Leave / economics
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Anti-Asthmatic Agents

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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