The information needs of North American parents of children with asthma: A state-of-the-science review of the literature

Introduction: Asthma, the most common chronic disease of childhood, presents diverse challenges to parents who are responsible for its management. Parents must be informed regarding symptom recognition, medications, prevention, and treatment to effectively minimize acute exacerbations and asthma sequela. Current approaches to asthma education do not address the vast range of information needs of parents, and few studies explicitly identify parental information needs in a comprehensive manner. To address this gap and to create a parental information needs taxonomy, a "state-of-the-science" review of the literature was conducted. Method: Three electronic databases were searched and articles were screened according to pre-established inclusion criteria. Results: Of 164 articles retrieved, 11 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Discussion: Parental information needs can be classified in the following categories: asthma basics, treatment modalities, coping, and medical expectations. This information needs taxonomy may help practitioners better address the information needs of parents of children with asthma.