Application of different counseling strategies for better adult asthma control

Abstract

Objective

We aimed to compare the effectiveness of three distinct counseling methods to determine the most effective approach.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study with a two-month follow-up, A group of non-smoking adults, aged 19-60 years, were randomly collected at outpatients clinic with prior asthma diagnosis, based on the forced expiratory volume in one seconds to forced vital capacity ratio (FEV1/FVC) and the guidelines outlined by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), At the baseline assessment, all patients, underwent FEV1/FVC measurements, asthma symptom evaluations using Asthma Control Test (ACT), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), and GINA symptoms control assessment questionnaire, and assessment of pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) usage. The patients were divided into three groups, each assigned a distinct counseling strategy: traditional verbal counseling, advanced counseling utilizing the Asthma smartphone-application, and a combination of advanced-verbal counseling. We conducted a two-month monitoring period for all three groups.

Results

Significant differences (p < .001) were observed among the three counseling groups in ACT, FEV1/FVC ratio, and GINA symptoms control assessment scores from the first month to the second month visit. Regarding ACQ, the study unveiled a noteworthy disparity in ACQ scores during the second week, with a significant difference (p = .025) observed between the verbal and advanced-verbal counseling groups. Similarly, a significant difference (p = .016) was noted between the advanced counseling group and the advanced-verbal counseling groups.

Conclusion

The study findings indicate that the combining advanced-verbal counseling by incorporating the Asthma smartphone-application alongside traditional verbal counseling is a more effective approach for improving asthma control in adults.

Keywords:

• Asthma counseling
• advanced counseling
• asthma control test
• asthma control questionnaire
• global initiative for asthma
• pressurized metered dose inhalers

Author contributions

Basma M.E. Mohamed: searching, data entry, writing, and statistics; Nabila Laz: searching, data entry, writing, and statistics; Haitham Saeed: searching, data entry, writing, and statistics; Saleh Alghamdi: searching, data entry, writing, copy editing; Mohamed AbdElrahman: searching, data entry, writing, copy editing; Mohamed E.A. Abdelrahim: Concept, planning of study design, statistics, and writing; Hoda Rabea: searching, data entry, writing, and statistics.

Declaration of interest

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

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grants from public, commercial, or not-for-profit funding agencies.