Canadian Health&Care; Mall

International consensus guidelines have stressed asthma education and patient self-management as integral components of asthma management . In a recent editorial, Blessing-Moore defined the aims of asthma education as to provide knowledge and find effective motivational techniques that can assist in the translation of knowledge into (positive action) behavioural practices that will improve decision making skills and eventually improve therapeutic outcomes. Such programs will need to address the special cultural, educational, psychological issues as well as health beliefs and attitudes and to provide motivation for a positive action and sense of responsibility. The importance of asthma education is now regarded as something of a fundamental truth; thus, it is somewhat surprising that the relationship among educational interventions, self-management knowledge and skills, illness behaviour (particularly during an acute attack), and effect upon morbidity (and mortality) remains unclear and controversial.