Asthma medication device skills in high-risk African American adolescents.

Objective: To describe the asthma medication device skills of high-risk African American adolescents and associations between skills and other components of illness management,

Methods: 170 African American adolescents, with at least one hospitalization or two emergency department visits in the last year, demonstrated how they use their asthma quick-relief and controller medication devices. Observations were scored using an in vivo observation asthma skills checklist. To assess other areas of asthma management, adolescents and their primary caregiver were interviewed using the Family Asthma Management System Scales,

Results: Only 5% of adolescents correctly demonstrated all controller skills, and none of the adolescents correctly showed all quick-relief inhaler skills (5% showed between 90 and 95% of skills). Several components of asthma management predicting controller medication skills were attendance at an asthma specialty clinic, collaboration with provider, medication adherence, and quick-relief medication skills. These variables accounted for a total of 24% of the variance in controller medication skills,

Conclusions: Results indicate the need for interventions directly targeting observed asthma management skills and the importance of relationship with providers.