Asthma knowledge and approach among Pakistani family physicians and the impact of an educational programme

OBJECTIVES: To assess asthma knowledge and approach among Pakistani family physicians and the impact of an educational programme. DESIGN: A total of 89 family physicians attending a continuing medical education programme were evaluated using a 17-item questionnaire before and after a lecture and seminar-based educational programme. Three scores - total score (TSc), knowledge subscore (KSc) and approach subscore (ASc) - were calculated before and after the course. RESULTS: A total of 82 (92%) family physicians completed the questionnaire. A minimum TSc of ≥9 was achieved by 57% physicians before the course; this increased to 78% after the course. Physicians with ≤10 years since graduation achieved a higher baseline TSc than those who had graduated ≥20 years previously. The latter group showed a larger post-course improvement. Analysis of individual questions disclosed that 79% of family physicians were unable to assess the empirical risk of asthma in an unborn child, 61% were unable to correctly classify/treat Stage 2 asthma and a similar number peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) (1/min) based acute asthma exacerbation. Reassuringly, 97% correctly identified clinical signs and 87% life-threatening features of asthma. CONCLUSION: Of all family physicians who responded to the questionnaire, 57% achieved acceptable baseline standards. Deficiencies regarding areas such as genetic counselling and disease severity assessment were observed. Strengths in identifying clinical signs and life-threatening features were evident. Continuing medical education resulted in a significant improvement in the post-course assessment, regardless of the years since graduation.