ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Asthma education is a key component of asthma management. Asthma education around the management of a person who is having an acute exacerbation of asthma (often referred to as asthma first aid (AFA) training) is important, particularly in a school setting. There is no gold standard assessment of asthma knowledge and also there is no specific tool to measure the knowledge of AFA. Our aim was to identify asthma knowledge questionnaires and perform a content analysis. We were interested in evaluating the number, the type and the format of AFA questions. METHOD: A literature search was performed to identify the instruments which were able to assess asthma knowledge of people with asthma and/or caregivers of people with asthma. An electronic database search was performed in EMBASE, IPA, MEDLINE and PUBMED. Articles which described the development or psychometric testing of an asthma knowledge questionnaire were included. The content of questions in each instrument was analysed and categorised using the NVivo software, and a secondary analysis was performed to identify knowledge questions relevant to the management of an acute asthma exacerbation. RESULTS: Forty-four papers with 37 different instruments met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the instruments contained a relatively low proportion of questions related to the management of acute asthma, i.e., only 162 of the 780 questions (21%). No questionnaire had sufficient specific emphasis on acute asthma management knowledge to test the impact of AFA training. CONCLUSION: There is a scope to develop an up-to-date validated acute asthma management knowledge questionnaire for use in research and clinical settings.
Subject(s)
Asthma/therapy , First Aid , Patient Education as Topic , Psychometrics/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires/statistics & numerical data , Asthma/diagnosis , Caregivers/education , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Psychometrics/standards , Surveys and Questionnaires/standardsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is no gold standard outcome assessment for asthma first-aid knowledge. We therefore aimed to develop and validate an asthma first-aid knowledge questionnaire (AFAKQ) to be used before and after educational interventions. METHODS: The AFAKQ was developed based on a content analysis of existing asthma knowledge questionnaires and current asthma management guidelines. Content and face validity was performed by a review panel consisting of expert respiratory physicians, researchers and parents of school aged children. A 21 item questionnaire was then pilot tested among a sample of caregivers, health professionals and pharmacy students. Exploratory Factor analysis was performed to determine internal consistency. RESULTS: The initial 46 item version of the AFAKQ, was reduced to 21 items after revision by the expert panel. This was then pilot tested amongst 161 participants and further reduced to 14 items. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a parsimonious one factor solution with a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.77 with the 14 item AFAKQ. CONCLUSION: The AFAKQ is a valid tool ready for application in evaluating the impact of educational interventions on asthma first-aid knowledge.
