Pharmacist provision of language-appropriate education for Asian patients with asthma

Abstract

Objective: To improve asthma treatment outcomes in Asians living in Seattle and for whom English is a second language. Design: Pre-post design. Setting: International Community Health Services, Seattle, Washington. Patients: Asians older than 18 years with asthma and whose native language was not English. Intervention: Pharmacists or pharmacy students provided oral and written asthma education in the subject's native language. Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported use of valve-holding chambers and peak flow meters; self-reported asthma symptoms at baseline and 6 months after intervention; number of acute asthma-related (non-routine, non-followup) clinic visits during the 6 months before and after the intervention. Results: Thirty-two subjects, aged 42 to 88 years, participated. Subjects demonstrated a reduction in mean number of asthma attacks (3.7 to 1.0, P < .001) and night awakenings (1.4 to 0.3, P < .001). Patient satisfaction with the program was excellent. Spacer and peak flow meter use increased from 7 to 18 subjects (P < .001) and 1 to 14 subjects (P < .0002), respectively. Conclusion: Language-appropriate asthma education improved treatment outcome for patients whose native language was not English.