Perceptions of Parents and Physicians Concerning the Childhood Asthma Control Test

Abstract

Background. The Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) has been proposed to be a simple, patient-based test that is able to reflect the multidimensional nature of asthma control. In this analysis, the aim was to evaluate the perceptions of physicians and caregivers concerning C-ACT and its predictive value for future asthma-related events. Method. In a multicenter prospective design, 368 children aged 4–11 years with asthma who were either well- or not well-controlled were included in the study. The study participants were evaluated during three visits made at 2-month intervals and the Turkish version of C-ACT was completed each month. Parents completed questionnaires concerning their perception of asthma (before and after the study) and the C-ACT (after the study). Physicians completed a survey about their perception of a control-based approach and the C-ACT. Results. The C-ACT scores increased from visit 1 to visit 3, with improvement seen in all domains of the test. At the end of the study period, the parents more strongly agreed that asthma could be controlled completely and that asthma attacks and nocturnal awakenings due to asthma were preventable (p < .05). Most of the parents reported that the C-ACT helped them to determine asthma treatment goals for their children and also that the C-ACT improved communication with their physicians. The physicians indicated that a control-centered approach was more convenient (95%) and simpler (94.5%) than a severity-centered approach and provided better disease control (93.4%). A higher C-ACT score was associated with a decreased risk of asthma attack and emergency department admittance in the 2 months following the administration of C-ACT. Conclusion. Our findings indicated that the C-ACT improved both parental outlook on asthma control and the communication between the physician and parents. There was a good correlation between the C-ACT score and the level of asthma control achieved, as described by the physician. Additionally the C-ACT score was predictive of future asthma-related events. These findings suggest that the C-ACT may have an important role in asthma management in the future.

• asthma
• asthma attack
• child
• Childhood Asthma Control Test
• pulmonary function test

Acknowledgments

•	Soyer O.U. participated in the development of the protocol and analytic framework of the study, prepared the article, and had the primary responsibility for patient screening in her study centers.
•	Sekerel B.E. had the primary responsibility for protocol development, outcome assessment and data analysis, and prepared the article with Soyer O.U.
•	Kilic M., Keskin O., Asilsoy S., Altinel N., Karaman O., Yazicioglu M., Sapan N., Zeyrek D., Kotan C., Ozmen S., Reisli I., Aydogan M., Altintas D.U., Orhan F., Yuksel H., Boz A.B., Gurkan F., Tahan F., and Cevit O. supervised the design and execution of the study, contributed to preparation of the article, and had the primary responsibility for patient screening in their study centers.
•	This study was presented as a poster presentation in London at the EAACI 2010 annual congress.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.