Janson Susan, Weiss Kevin
Department of Community Health Systems, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0608, USA.
J Asthma. 2004;41(3):343-8. doi: 10.1081/jas-120026093.
Asthma is a chronic disorder that causes significant morbidity and mortality and requires ongoing chronic care. Approximately two-thirds of people with asthma are receiving care from a primary care clinician, such as an internist, family practitioner, nurse practitioner, or pediatrician. The other one-third of patients are obtaining treatment and ongoing care from specialists, including allergists or pulmonologists. The outcomes of asthma care are a subject of intense investigation. Many studies focus on pharmacotherapy, allergen control, and asthma education as interventions to reduce the morbidity and costs associated with asthma. Fewer studies have explored the differences in outcomes between asthmatic patients cared for by specialists compared with generalists. Even fewer have explored the practice differences between generalists and specialists that may relate to outcomes of care. With the advent of national asthma guidelines and the high prevalence of asthma seen in primary care settings, it is important to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary care physicians with regard to asthma.
哮喘是一种慢性疾病，会导致严重的发病率和死亡率，需要持续的长期护理。大约三分之二的哮喘患者由初级保健医生提供护理，如内科医生、家庭医生、执业护士或儿科医生。另外三分之一的患者则从专科医生那里获得治疗和持续护理，包括过敏症专科医生或肺病专家。哮喘护理的结果是一个深入研究的课题。许多研究将药物治疗、过敏原控制和哮喘教育作为减少与哮喘相关的发病率和成本的干预措施。较少有研究探讨由专科医生护理的哮喘患者与由全科医生护理的患者在治疗结果上的差异。甚至更少有人探讨全科医生和专科医生之间可能与护理结果相关的实践差异。随着国家哮喘指南的出现以及在初级保健环境中哮喘的高患病率，调查初级保健医生关于哮喘的知识、态度和实践非常重要。
