Abstract
Asthma control can be achieved with effective and safe medication use; however, many patients are not controlled. Patients’ perceptions of asthma, asthma treatment, and pharmacist roles can impact patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore patients’ experiences and patient–pharmacist relationships in asthma care. Qualitative Interpretive Description method guided the study. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 11 patients recruited from personal contacts, pharmacies, and asthma clinics. Categories and themes were identified using inductive constant comparison. Themes indicated patients had a personalized common sense approach to asthma management, “go-to” health care provider, and prioritized patient–pharmacist relationships. Patients described their illness experiences and asthma control based on personal markers similar to the common sense model of self-regulation. Patients chose a family physician, asthma specialist, respiratory therapist, or pharmacist as an expert resource for asthma management. Patient perceived pharmacists’ roles as information provider, adviser, or care provider. Pharmacists who develop a collaborative relationship with their asthma patients are better positioned to provide tailored education and self-management support. Inviting patients to share their perspective could increase patient engagement and uptake of personalised asthma action plans to achieve asthma control.
Highlights
Asthma is a significant public health problem all over the world and an everyday reality for the2.4 million Canadians living with asthma [1]
Four patients visited family physician clinics, another four saw an asthma specialist, and one patient used a respiratory therapist for routine asthma care
We found three themes namely: patients had a personalized common sense approach to asthma management, had a “go-to” health care provider to address asthma needs, and considered patient–pharmacist relationships important in asthma care (Figure 1)
Summary
Asthma is a significant public health problem all over the world and an everyday reality for the. 2.4 million Canadians living with asthma [1]. Asthma control can be achieved with effective and safe medications and treatment guidelines [2]. Level of asthma control has not improved over the last decade and currently 9 out of 10 Canadians with asthma are out of control [3]. Poor asthma control is burdensome to patients and increases emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and absence from work or school [4]. The reasons for poor asthma management are multifaceted including the disease itself, presence of comorbidities, patients’ self-management, healthcare professionals’ care, or the interaction among these factors [5,6]. Medication therapy is the primary intervention used in asthma highlighting asthma
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