Original Articles
Impact of digital parental education tools versus traditional methods in enhancing asthma management among parents of asthmatic children of age 5-14 years: A randomized controlled trial | |
Verma Virender, Soni Priya, Jha Ram Kinkar | |
ABSTACT Background: Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions among children, on quality of life and the burden on healthcare. Effective management of pediatric asthma depends greatly on parents understanding and adhering to the care plan. Unfortunately, traditional educational measures, i.e., handouts and verbal guidance, seldom engage parents adequately. Digital educational tools prove to be interactive and flexible to some extent, yet their effectiveness in improved pediatric asthma care has yet to be evaluated wholly. Objectives: To assess the role of a digital parent education tool on parental knowledge, confidence, and engagement in managing pediatric asthma as compared to traditional handouts. Methods: Randomized controlled trials were conducted in a pediatric asthma clinic associated with a tertiary medical college involving approximately 160 parents of children aged 5-14 years with physician-diagnosed asthma. Upon randomization, two groups were created: The control group received printed educational materials, while the intervention group received access to the digital education tools. Outcomes were measured over six months, including parental knowledge (20-item questionnaire), confidence in asthma management (Likert scale), frequency of clinic visits for asthma exacerbations, and medication compliance (captured via parent-reported logs). Results: The mean increase in scores on asthma knowledge was found to be statistically significant in the intervention group (22%) as compared with the control group (8%), with a p value of less than 0.001. A significant increase in confidence in asthma management was also noted in the intervention group (mean Likert scale score: 1.5; 0.6; p < 0.01). Secondary outcomes showed a 31.25% decrease in the number of clinic visits for asthma exacerbations (1.1 vs. 1.6; p < 0.05) and an 85% adherence to prescribed medication in the intervention group compared with 68% in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The digital parental education tool significantly improved parental knowledge, engagement, and adherence to the management of pediatric asthma. The findings emphasize the potential of digital interventions as efficient and scalable alternatives to conventional educational methods in pediatric chronic illness management. Further studies are warranted to explore their long-term impact and broader applicability. |
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