Asthma compliance with medications, treatment, and education in adults with asthma

Asthma is becoming more prevalent and a public health problem. The purpose of this descriptive study was to document issues with compliance and deficits in knowledge. The theoretical framework used to guide the literature review and the study was based on Becker's Health Belief Model. The literature review examined current guidelines for treatment, barriers to compliance with medications and treatments, factors that affect compliance with treatment regimens, and education. This quantitative study assessed how compliant adult patients are with medications, education and treatment. The sample size for the study was 100 patients between the ages of eighteen and eighty who had been diagnosed with asthma. The data collection tool was an anonymous survey created by the researcher. The data collection occurred in a private physician's office. Registered Nurses in the office gave participants the anonymous survey to complete and participants returned them via a blank envelope. The data consisted of demographics, medications, self-observation of asthma, and education. Data were interpreted via descriptive statistics, frequency tables, and histograms. Results from the study indicated that education was a key for adult patients to be compliant.