BACKGROUND:
Asthma is a serious chronic disease affecting about 12 million Americans; about 3 million are children. The study was part of an initiative, "Developing and Implementing at the State and Local Level Educational Strategies and Interventions for Controlling Asthma in Inner City and High Risk Populations", released in February 1993 by the National Asthma Education Program of the Office of Prevention, Education and Control.
DESIGN NARRATIVE:
A computer-assisted multimedia instructional and feedback system, "Asthma Patient/Provider Partnership System" (APPPS), was developed for African American and Hispanic school-age children that was suited for adoption and implementation in clinical and other settings based on the National Asthma Education Program's Expert Panel Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. A formative evaluation of the educational intervention was conducted. Also, an efficacy study of the intervention in three clinical settings was conducted and the findings of this study were incorporated into the APPPS. Finally, a recommended dissemination strategy was prepared for diffusion of the system to other settings.
