Preferred sources of information on asthma: data from multinational survey of patients in Asia

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIM: Provision of suitable asthma information to patients, their family and other carers is an important component of holistic management. A large multinational survey in Europe (REALISE) showed that health care professionals and online sources are two most important sources of disease information favoured by patients with asthma. We describe here the preferred sources of information from a similar survey of patients in Asia. METHODS: Using validated consumer panels across 8 countries in Asia, patients diagnosed with asthma (age 18–50 years, ≥2 prescriptions for asthma in past two years) were recruited for this online survey. All patients had used social media. RESULTS: Over 90% of respondents report they had at least a reasonable knowledge about asthma and how to manage it, with 72% claiming that they know how to manage without the help of physicians. However, only 18% of patients are considered well-controlled using GINA-defined criteria. More than 81% still actively look for information about their asthma at least once a year and 33% even doing such at least once a week. Topics which patients most frequently seek are those relating to asthma exacerbations: how to prevent, what are the triggers, and what they should do in an event of asthma attack. Respiratory specialists are the most preferred sources of information (57%) followed by online sources such as search engines (52%), or specific disease or health websites (39%), and primary care physicians (38%). Over 90% of patients consider physicians (specialists or general practitioners alike) as trustworthy sources of information. Although >70% of patients consider internet information (i.e. disease or health websites, search engines) as trustworthy, only 33% would recommend them to friends. In general, social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) are not considered as trustworthy information sources as compared to medical professionals. CONCLUSION: Patients with asthma in Asia prefer physicians (respiratory specialists and primary care physicians) and internet (disease or health websites, search engines) as sources of information about asthma. To better impact asthma outcomes, health care professionals should leverage on this information-seeking attitude of patients and lead them to effective guided asthma self-management.