A pilot study to evaluate self initiated computer patient education in children with acute asthma in pediatric emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to investigate the feasibility and acceptance of an interactive computer assisted asthma education program in the pediatric emergency department (ED) for children with acute asthma exacerbations. METHODS: A pre-post non- randomized study was designed for children age 3 to 18 years at the University of Maryland Hospital for Children, Baltimore. An interactive computer-assisted educational program, Patient Education and Motivation Tool (PEMT), was designed using learning theories, to teach children about asthma and its management. Sixty nine children were enrolled during an ED visit for acute asthma between May 2006 and November 2006. Socio-demographic and asthma knowledge information was gathered using questionnaires. An attitudinal survey was used to assess the acceptance of the program. RESULTS: Eighty one percent (n=56) of the children found PEMT very easy to use, and seventy five percent (n=52) agreed to use it in near future. There was a significant thirteen percent improvement in knowledge of asthma after the completion of this computer assisted asthma education program (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: PEMT is highly acceptable and is an effective way to provide asthma education in an ED setting.