Facilitators and Solutions for Practicing Optimal Guided Asthma Self-Management: The Physician Perspective

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify key solutions that facilitate the prescription of long-term asthma controller and provision of written self-management plans by physicians.METHODS: One hour individualized semistructured interviews were conducted with physicians. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed independently by two trained qualitative researchers. A taxonomy of facilitators (contemplated solutions) and experienced solutions was achieved by consensus within the research team.RESULTS: Forty-two physicians (family physicians, pediatricians, emergency physicians, pulmonologists and allergists) were interviewed. The 867 facilitators and solutions, grouped in 10 categories, addressed three physician needs: support physicians in delivering optimal care (guideline dissemination, workplace culture, physician training and experience, physician attitudes toward optimal practice, tools and resources supporting physicians’ decision making); assist patients with following recommendations (patient characteristics, experiences and attitudes; physician behaviour; and tools and resources supporting patient self-management); and offer efficient services (reorganization of care; interprofessional patient management). Suggestions pertaining to the latter two categories were most frequently cited to optimize asthma management and use of self-management plans (eg, access to self-management plans; education by allied health care professionals). The most cited suggestions to support prescribing long-term controller pertained to physician behaviour (eg, involvement in patient education, personalization of prescriptions, feedback to patients of the benefits of long-term controller). The distribution of facilitators and solutions varied across specialties.CONCLUSIONS: Physicians proposed multiple facilitators and solutions to support optimal practice, leading to the development of a novel taxonomy. Key suggestions varied across physician specialties and behaviours sought, emphasizing the need to carefully select the most promising knowledge translation interventions.