TY - JOUR T1 - Patient's experience of asthma exacerbation and management: a qualitative study of severe asthma JF - ERJ Open Research JO - erjor DO - 10.1183/23120541.00528-2020 SP - 00528-2020 AU - Woo-Jung Song AU - Ha-Kyeong Won AU - Suh Young Lee AU - Han-Ki Park AU - You Sook Cho AU - Kian Fan Chung AU - Liam G. Heaney AU - Woo Joung Joung Y1 - 2020/01/01 UR - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/early/2020/11/12/23120541.00528-2020.abstract N2 - Background Exacerbation is a defining feature of severe asthma, and oral corticosteroids (OCSs) are frequently prescribed to manage exacerbations. This qualitative study was conducted to examine the experience of patients with severe asthma, with a focus on asthma exacerbation and OCS treatment.Methods Adults with severe asthma were recruited from three tertiary hospitals in South Korea. Data were collected through in-depth qualitative interviews. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method to uncover the meaning of the participants’ experience. Recruitment of participants continued until thematic saturation.Results Fourteen patients with severe asthma were recruited. Four theme clusters emerged: 1) experience of asthma exacerbation, 2) impact on life, 3) OCS treatments, and 4) disease perception. The patients experienced severe physical and psychosocial distress from asthma exacerbations, felt helpless due to failed efforts to prevent exacerbation, and were living a restricted life due to fear of exacerbation. They feared OCS side effects but had no other choice but to rely on OCS because other interventions were ineffective. Most had poor knowledge and understanding of severe asthma and the longterm health consequences.Conclusion Asthma exacerbation affects wide aspects of life in patients with severe asthma. Several components may underlie OCS reliance, including experience of distress during exacerbation, fear of future exacerbation, and lack of proper knowledge about long-term health consequences of severe asthma and OCS treatments. Multi-disciplinary approach is warranted to support the patients and to provide systematic education about long-term health implications of severe asthma.FootnotesThis manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the ERJ Open Research. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJOR online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.Conflict of interest: Dr. Song reports grants from AstraZeneca, during the conduct of the study;.Conflict of interest: Dr. Won has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Lee has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Park has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Cho has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Chung has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Heaney has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Joung has nothing to disclose. ER -