Design and implementation of a patient education center for the Childhood Asthma Management Program. Childhood Asthma Management Program Research Group.

OBJECTIVES

To design, develop, and distribute asthma education materials relevant to the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP), a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute sponsored comprehensive clinical trial. This trial is designed to evaluate the relative efficacy of three treatment strategies on asthma control, and lung growth and development in children with asthma.

APPROACH

A Patient Education Center (PEC) was established to prepare CAMP-specific asthma educational materials that would promote consistent implementation of the CAMP protocol, adherence to study medications and record keeping requirements and retention in the trial. The PEC has the responsibility to design the asthma education program and to provide support to the study clinical center coordinators/educators who maintain direct and ongoing contact with the participants.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1,041 children with asthma age 5 through 12 years were enrolled in the trial between November 1993 and September 1995 at 8 clinical centers.

PROCESS

The three major tenets of self-management were highlighted in the CAMP patient education program: anticipate problems before they arise, determine the appropriate responses, and rehearse and practice behaviors that are effective solutions. CAMP education was standardized across centers to provide consistency in the implementation of the protocol. The program was structured to be comprehensive in order to address the various issues encountered by the participants and their caretakers, including background information on asthma and asthma therapy, instructions on following the study protocol (taking medication and monitoring symptoms and peak flow), and clear steps for handling asthma exacerbations. Materials were prepared in the form of handouts, handbooks, and videos. Instructional manuals were also prepared on the use of these materials for the nurse coordinators at each clinical center.

CONCLUSIONS

The CAMP approach to asthma education was planned with the realization that patient education is essential to successful treatment and must be fully integrated into the patient's routine care. The CAMP education materials are readily available in a national repository and could be used for asthma education programs in a practice setting or another clinical research effort.