Role Preference Characteristics in Persons With Asthma

Asthma self-management requires the patient and health care provider to work together. Understanding what role asthma patients prefer may improve adherence to the prescribed treatment plan and improve clinical outcomes. Role preference is how a patient prefers to participate in the decision making with their health care provider. There are 3 role preferences: passive, collaborative, and active. The objective of this study was to describe role preference characteristics in persons with asthma. The study sample consisted of 225 patients with asthma. Data collection included demographic and clinical characteristics. Patients were categorized into passive, collaborative, and active role groups using the Control Preferences Scale. Noninferential and inferential statistics were used to describe and explore the sample. Most demographic and clinical characteristics were not significantly different among the 3 role preference groups, except for education and environmental irritant exposures. Education level was significantly different in the sample, with lower education associated with passive role preference. Environmental irritant exposure was significantly different between collaborative and active role preference groups, suggesting active role preference patients are exposed to more environmental irritants. Asthma patient role preferences tend not to have the same associations that patients with other chronic diseases have. Age, gender, ethnicity, income, disease severity, and previous hospital admissions were not associated with passive role preference. However, highest level of education and environmental irritant exposures did vary by role preference. Health care providers should try to tailor the patient–health care provider relationship around the patient’s education level. Furthermore, health care providers should recognize how role preference may influence a patient’s willingness to employ environmental control measures.