Patient-centered education: Applying learner-centered concepts to asthma education

Objective. To review studies of patient-centered asthma education. Method. CINAHL, Medline, Psycinfo, Eric, PsycARTICLES, and web of science databases were searched. Results Asthma education programs are often based on health behavior theories. Many studies lack rigor in the assessment of the program's efficacy and effectiveness. Asthma education that promotes self-management primarily uses a problem-based approach. Few studies have examined the way educators teach and patients learn. Patient-centered approaches to education have mainly focused on communication between the patient and the health professional. Decision making as part of shared responsibility may vary with every patient. Patient-centered care shares similarities with the Self-Determination Theory as a learner-centered approach to education. Conclusions. Many asthma education studies have been completed with varying levels of efficacy and effectiveness reported. Most programs focus on changing behavior with few studies examining educator behavior and/or the patient's learning styles. With a patient-centered approach being the preferred model of care, the incorporation of learner-centered approaches to patient education may prove useful in the future.