Objective: To evaluate the impact of the Programa de Controle da Asma e Rinite Alérgica em Feira de Santana (ProAR-FS, Program for the Control of Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis in Feira de Santana) on the frequency of hospitalizations for asthma in patients monitored at a referral center for one year. Methods: This was a historical control study involving 253 consecutive patients with asthma, ages ranging from 4 to 76 years. We compared the frequency of hospital admissions and visits to the emergency room (ER) in the 12 months prior to and after their admission to the ProAR-FS. During the program, patients received free treatment, including inhaled medications and education on asthma. Demographic and socioeconomic aspects were also assessed. Results: There was a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations (465 vs. 21) and of visits to the ER (2,473 vs. 184) after their admission to ProAR-FS (p < 0.001 for both). Of the 253 patients who had been hospitalized and had had ER visits within the year prior to the admission to ProAR-FS, only 16 were hospitalized and 92 visited the ER during the follow-up year, representing a reduction of 94% and 64%, respectively. Conclusions: Implementing a referral center for the treatment of asthma and rhinitis in the Unified Health Care System, with the free distribution of inhaled corticosteroids and the support of an education program, is a highly effective strategy for the control of asthma.

Keywords: Hospitalization; Asthma; Rhinitis; Health services; Public health.

Bronchial asthma is an inflammatory chronic disease of the respiratory tract whose prevalence is increasing worldwide. Since there is no curative treatment available, the principal objective of every approach is to control the disease and to improve the quality of life of patients. Over the last few decades, intervention programs supplementing conventional medical treatments have been tested and implemented. The majority of such programs consist of educational interventions or include some type of educational component. In this study, we attempted to determine the characteristics and the impact of educational interventions on asthma by means of the following: a) an updated review of the various educational interventions developed and implemented for asthma patients; b) the identification of aspects that are common to all of these interventions; and c) the analysis of the findings in the literature regarding the impact that these interventions have on the health and quality of life of patients. We conclude that educational interventions are effective in improving the health and quality of life of asthma patients, as well as in reducing the use and costs of health resources. These findings indicate the importance of including an educational component as part of an integrated approach to this population. Likewise, the inherent complexity of the educational process highlights the importance of a complementary joint effort including various health professionals.

Keywords: Asthma/prevention and control; Health education; Therapeutics.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of bronchial asthma among university hospital employees between the ages of 20 and 44 based on the criteria established in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. Methods: A descriptive, prospective, randomized, stratified prevalence study was conducted, in which questionnaires completed between April and October of 2002 by 351 employees of the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Federal University at Pernambuco) Hospital das Clínicas were evaluated. For sample characterization, the independent variables used were the signs and symptoms of asthma, and one dependent variable (physician-diagnosed asthma, characterized by data related to attacks occurring within the 12 months preceding the study) was included. Results: The prevalence of asthma was 10.7%. Nocturnal dyspnea, chest tightness and nocturnal cough were the most frequent symptoms, although statistically significant correlations with asthma were found exclusively among females (p = 0.03, p = 0.04 and p = 0.001, respectively). Nocturnal dyspnea, wheezing within the last 12 months, dyspnea with wheezing and the use of asthma medication were more frequent among individuals between 20 and 29 years of age. The last two variables presented statistical significance (p < 0.001). Undertreatment of asthma was identified in 35 (10.7%) of the cases. Conclusions: The results of this pioneering study show that asthma prevalence in a sample composed of employees of a university hospital located in a developing country was slightly higher than that found in the literature and suggest that working in a university hospital does not reduce the frequency of undertreatment.

Keywords: Asthma/diagnosis; Asthma/epidemiology; Hospitals, university; Questionnnaires

Objective: To evaluate the understanding of asthma and the clinical improvement in patients with moderate or severe persistent asthma prior to and after their participation in an educational program presented during the routine outpatient visits. Methods: This was a prospective pilot study involving 164 patients over a two-year period. The educational program, presented to small groups on outpatient visit days, consisted of lectures divided into three parts: pathophysiology; environmental control; and treatment, including training in the inhalation technique. The program was evaluated using standardized questionnaires on clinical improvement and understanding of the disease. Results: By the end of the first year, 120 patients had completed three visits, and 51 of those patients were revaluated at the end of the second year. The mean age of the patients was 44 years, 70% were female, and 43% had up to eight years of schooling. The educational intervention significantly increased the understanding of the disease (p < 0.001), and allowed greater clinical improvement (p < 0.05) with a decrease in the use of oral corticosteroids, fewer visits to the emergency room and fewer days missed from work or school. Conclusions: The educational program offered during the routine outpatient visits of adult patients with asthma at our clinic resulted in a progressive long-term increase in knowledge, as well as in clinical improvement.

Keywords: Asthma; Adult; Patient education as topic.

Objective: To report the results of a workshop regarding asthma management programs and centers (AMPCs) in Brazil, so that they can be used as a tool for the improvement and advancement of current and future AMPCs. Methods: The workshop consisted of five presentations and the corresponding group discussions. The working groups discussed the following themes: implementation of asthma management strategies; human resources needed for AMPCs; financial resources needed for AMPCs; and operational maintenance of AMPCs. Results: The workshop involved 39 participants, from all regions of the country, representing associations of asthma patients (n = 3), universities (n = 7), and AMPCs (n = 29). We found a direct relationship between a lack of planning and the failure of AMPCs. Based on the experiences reported during the workshop, the common assumptions about AMPCs in Brazil were the importance of raising awareness of managers; greater community participation; interdependence between primary care and specialized care; awareness of regionalization; and use of medications available in the public health system. Conclusions: Brazil already has a core of experience in the area of asthma management programs. The implementation of strategies for the management of chronic respiratory disease and their incorporation into health care system protocols would seem to be a natural progression. However, there is minimal experience in this area. Joint efforts by individuals with expertise in AMPCs could promote the implementation of asthma management strategies, thus speeding the creation of treatment networks, which might have a multiplier effect, precluding the need for isolated centers to start from zero.

Keywords: Asthma; Academic medical centers; Area health education centers; Health planning organiza-tions; Regional medical programs; Managed care programs.