Effects of a Self-management Enhancement Program on Symptom Control and Quality of Life Among Persons with Uncontrolled Asthma

• Main Author: Pornthip Kaewsing
• Other Authors: Professor Dr. Darawan Thapinta
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: เชียงใหม่ : บัณฑิตวิทยาลัย มหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่ 2020
• Online Access: http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/69635
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

Asthma, a disease affecting the patient’s respiratory system, is a key public health problem worldwide. Patients with uncontrolled asthma normally encounter a number of adverse events during the disease’s progression. Self-management has supported successful improvements of health outcomes for asthma patients. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of a self-management enhancement program on symptom control and quality of life among patients with uncontrolled asthma. The participants consisted of 100 patients diagnosed with uncontrolled asthma. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental (50 patients) or control group (50 patients). The experimental group received a 6-week self-management enhancement program that was developed by the researcher based on Lorig’s self-management skills training and self-determination (intrinsic motivation) by Deci and Ryan (1975). The control group received standard care. Follow-up evaluation occurred at 12 weeks after completion of the program. Research instruments included the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniAQLQ). All research instruments were evaluated for their quality before being used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, independent t-test and Mann-Whitney U. The results revealed the following; 1. At 12 weeks after program completion, patients in both the control group and the experimental group had significantly better symptom control and quality of life scores than before starting treatment (p < .01, and p < .001, respectively). 2. At 12 weeks after program completion, the patients who participated in the self-management enhancement program and control group had significantly better symptom control than base line (p < .001, and p < .001, respectively). For quality of life at 12 week after completion of the program, scores of sum of rank in both groups were significantly higher than at base line (p < .001, and p < .001, respectively). The findings from this study suggest that the self-management enhancement program is effective in improving symptom control and improving quality of life. Therefore, a self-management enhancement program should be applied to nursing care for patients with uncontrolled asthma.