Reasons for poor understanding of when and how to access GP care for childhood asthma in Auckland, New Zealand.

Background: Attempts to explain why some patients lack the understanding needed to access GP care for childhood asthma are uncommon and have tended to be based on reported statistical associations.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to describe and account for poor patient understanding of when and how to access GP care for childhood asthma in Auckland, New Zealand.

Methods: A general inductive approach was used to analyse 29 semi-structured, personal interviews, during March-May 2001, with Auckland key informants selected through maximum variation sampling. Informant checking and the literature supported the text analysis by two independent researchers.

Results: Key informants reported wide variations in the extent to which guardians and asthmatic children understand when and how to access GP services. Two sets of barriers to patient understanding were identified. The first limits the willingness of people to seek understanding and the second limits their ability to understand, even if they want to understand.

Conclusions: Use of qualitative methodology was able to reveal barriers to patient understanding. Strategies operating at the GP and system levels were identified to help overcome these barriers.