The use of an interactive computer program for the education of parents of asthmatic children

Objective: To assess whether an interactive computer program improves the asthma knowledge of parents of asthmatic children attending a respiratory clinic, and to assess the acceptability of this educational method to parents.

Methodology:

Parents’ knowledge was assessed before and one month after using the computer program. Knowledge scores were compared using paired Student’s t-tests. Parents’ comments about the program were invited.

Results:

Whilst knowledge scores improved after exposure to the computer program, the improvement was not statistically significant (P=0.06). However, parents felt subjectively that the program was both enjoyable and useful to them.

Conclusion:

Used as the sole instrument for asthma education, the program did not produce a large increase in asthma knowledge in the study population. It was, however, universally popular and may prove useful in other settings and in combination with other forms of asthma education.