Comparing Asthma Action Plans for Pediatric Asthma

Asthma medical regimens are complex for families, requiring changes in the types and amounts
of medication based on the frequency and intensity of symptoms. Written asthma action plans
(AAP’s) are commonly used to provide a set of instructions to help parents and children
implement these complicated regimens. However, written AAP’s require substantial literacy
levels, so for younger children, low-literacy families, or non-English speaking families, a
pictorial version of the AAP may be more understandable and useful. The study aims to
validate a newly developed, fully pictorial AAP in terms of its relative impact on parent-
and child-reported knowledge of the action plan, medication use, and parent- and
child-reported satisfaction, when compared to a standard-care written AAP.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Children who are new patients

- Receive a diagnosis of persistent asthma

- Are in need of an asthma action plan

Exclusion Criteria:

- Diagnosed with intermittent asthma

- An established patient who already has an asthma action plan

- Not English or Spanish speaking