Dr. Reznik and her associates concluded that the results highlighted the need for repeated training of caregivers to ensure ongoing, proper delivery of inhaled corticosteroids.
Most physicians don’t have the time to properly teach parents on the correct delivery of inhaled corticosteroids, Dr. Reznik said. In addition, many parents favor treatment with an inhaled, short-acting beta-agonist, such as albuterol, because of the immediate symptom relief it provides. "They don’t see the role of preventive treatment, compared with acute treatment," she said in an interview.
"There is a discrepancy between what physicians say and what parents hear, and there is more to this than education." Parents face the financial challenge of paying for the medications, and they fear the side effects of inhaled corticosteroids. "Physicians try to educate the family as much as possible, but with limited time, that may not be possible." The community health worker approach under development by Dr. Reznik features a user-friendly format in which the health worker goes to the family’s home, a format that she hopes will lead to improved caregiver education and reinforcement, improved drug delivery, and better outcomes.
Dr. Reznik said that she had no disclosures.