Coping with asthma.

Coping is a dynamic process playing a major role in a person's behaviour to respond in the best possible way to his environment. Behaviour and environment mutually influence one another. Non-compliance appears in all therapies prescribing the patient to administer his own medication. A number of studies shows that approximately 50% of the chronic patients do not take their medication or do not take it in accordance with the prescription. Knowledge and skills are important variables for maintaining desired behaviour of asthma patients. In order to cope adequately with the disease it requires the patient's understanding of the daily use of an often complex medication regimen. With respect to asthma patients health education is particularly aimed at supplying them with knowledge and skills that enable them to cope adequately with the disease in everyday life. Moreover, health education functions to motivate patients. On investigation into the relation between coping and disease it is important that one should not only focus on the disease and the treatment, but particularly on the relation between the patient, his immediate environment and society, which relation should be adapted.