Exploring the barriers and facilitators of asthma patient education: perspective of physicians in a pediatric emergency department setting

Introduction The rising global prevalence of asthma warrants an imminent need for appropriate intervention methods to reduce burden caused. Limited research has explored physician perspectives on asthma patient education, especially in the context of an Asian setting. We aim to understand experiences and perceptions about quality of current asthma patient education provided amongst physicians in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Methods We employed a qualitative, individual interview methodology. From January to March 2021, 14 physicians working in the pediatric ED were enrolled. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, audiotaped, and transcribed in verbatim. Themes were identified and data analysed using qualitative and iterative data analysis. Results Four overarching themes emerged from data analysis. Overall, participants reported confidence in administering asthma patient education. However, we recognised how lack of training, experience or availability of guidelines contributed to gaps between knowledge and practice making it challenging to provide asthma patient education. Secondly, perspectives or attitudes of both patients and physicians shaped by experiences and culture influence the delivery of patient education. Thirdly, therapeutic patient-physician relationships were protective in delivering successful asthma care. Finally, extrinsic factors including time constraints, availability of resources and culture of interprofessional management may support or impede asthma management. Conclusion Asthma control can be optimised by being aware of barriers that exist to patient education and developing interventions to overcome them. Collaborative efforts in the ED should be encouraged to shift beliefs and individual behaviours to improve asthma health literacy and maintain therapeutic patient-physician relationships hence delivering effective asthma patient education.