Assessing Patient Knowledge of Asthma Using a Newly Validated Tool

Objectives: To develop and validate a measure of asthma knowledge and to translate and culturally adapt the measure into the Arabic language and context. Methods: Medically diagnosed individuals 18 years and older were recruited in primary care and specialty asthma clinics in the United Arab Emirates. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program recommendations for education on asthma were used as a framework to develop the Asthma Knowledge Test (AKT). A measurement scale of “Yes,” “No,” and “I don't know” was selected. Descriptive statistics were calculated for participant demographics and other healthcare information. Cronbach α ≥ 0.7 was used to measure reliability. Principal component analysis was used to determine the distinct areas of asthma knowledge covered by the AKT. Differences in asthma knowledge depending on sex, age, marital status, and education were tested using multivariate analyses of variance. Results: Cronbach α =.70. Four components were retained and included: asthma as a common disease, triggers and control issues, inhalers, and beliefs and myths. The average AKT score = 13.95 ± 2.77 (range = 5.0-18.0). There was a significant effect of participant level of education on the AKT scores. Conclusions: The availability of the AKT in Arabic is a valuable addition to the limited available tools related to asthma. As a simple and short tool, it could be used in clinical practice and research to identify specific areas of patient asthma knowledge needing improvements; hence, targeted interventions are sought.