Identifying Asthma Patient Education Materials that Support National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Guidelines

Abstract

In its role as a clearinghouse for high-quality information about asthma, the Chicago Asthma Consortium (CAC) realized that although there was a great deal of literature designed for patient education on asthma, there were no ready standards for differentiating the material's ability to present and reinforce essential factors for appropriate management. Since the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines for asthma care were first published in 1991, health-care organizations have encouraged adoption of the asthma management and patient education strategies nationwide. Materials are available from a wide variety of sources, including pharmaceutical companies, public organizations, and individual institutions. However, most clinicians are faced with a limited subset of teaching materials and no means to evaluate the quality of the information.