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Parental asthma knowledge: Its association with readmission of children to hospital
Author(s) -
HENRY R. L,
COOPER D. M.,
HALLIDAY J. A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1995.tb00754.x
Subject(s) - medicine , asthma , association (psychology) , medline , family medicine , pediatrics , intensive care medicine , philosophy , epistemology , political science , law
Objectives: To assess whether poor parental knowledge about asthma was a risk factor for readmission of their children to hospital. Methodology: Parents of children who were admitted to the paediatric facility at Newcastle Mater and John Hunter Hospitals were administered a previously validated asthma knowledge questionnaire with a maximum possible score of 31. Results: The mean parental knowledge scores for three groups of children were determined: those with a previous diagnosis of asthma being readmitted to hospital (170 children, mean score 18.3); those with a previous diagnosis of asthma being admitted for the first time (114 children, mean score 17.2); and children being admitted with their first attack of asthma (65 children, mean score 15.6). There was a significant difference in parental asthma knowledge between the first and third group ( P <0.001) but not between the first and second group. A linear regression model with knowledge score as an outcome found that increased knowledge was associated with previously diagnosed asthma, higher parental occupation and no smoker in the home. Conclusions: Knowledge was poor in all groups. Readmission rate was related to the severity of the child's asthma.