| Underdiagnosis and under-management of asthma in primary care have been associated with ineffective physician intervention strategies which can ultimately lead to increased preventable asthma morbidity and mortality rates. This study used secondary analysis of existing data to determine whether the combined effect of intervention strategies in a randomized controlled trial would enhance asthma management skills, prescribing practices, and perceptions of practice barriers of treatment group physicians as compared to control group physicians; and whether the intervention would significantly influence the practice behavior of maximum exposure treatment group physicians than moderate exposure treatment group physicians. Study participants (n=109) were predominantly White (47%), younger (<55 years), female (58%), more often graduated between 1970 and 1989, and mostly pediatricians (84%) by training. The results of the ANOVA test indicated higher doses of the intervention did not significantly influence prescribing practices of intervention physicians nor alter physicians' perception of practice barriers to effective asthma management. While the results of the t-test statistics did not show significant influence in the practice behavior of maximum exposure treatment group physicians as compared to moderate exposure treatment group physicians, two practical implications of the findings necessary to bring about social change indicate (a) physicians who are 55 years or younger may be an appropriate group of physicians to engage in physician intervention programs and (b) intervention strategies that have shown promise in specialty groups may need to be tailored differently to address the practice barriers profile of primary care physicians. |
