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Introduction: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the number of individuals with asthma in the United States has increased by 4.3 million, or 12.3%, between 2001 and 2009, creating an increasing burden on our health care system. Effective patient education is a key component of asthma management. The National Asthma Educator Certification Board (NAECB) promotes “optimal asthma management and quality of life by advancing excellence in asthma education through the Certified Asthma Educator process.” Methods: Following completion of the asthma educator certification examination, applicants were invited to participate in a voluntary, anonymous Web-based survey. The survey was developed and approved by the Executive and Research Committees of the NAECB, with the objective of reviewing the experience of applicants seeking initial certification and of those seeking recertification. Results: Completed surveys were obtained from 988 applicants. Seventy-six percent of respondents were first-time test takers; the remaining respondents were repeat test takers. Eighty percent reported having passed the examination. Approximately 85% felt that the time allotted for the examination was “just right”; the level of difficulty was “ just right” for 65% of the respondents, and the clarity of the examination questions was rated as “good” or “excellent” by 72% of the respondents. Seventy-two percent responded that the examination reflected the role of the asthma educator and 88.1% would recommend the examination to others interested in asthma education. Open-ended responses highlighted benefits and barriers. Discussion: The asthma educator certification examination is reflective of the professional responsibilities of the asthma educator. Benefits and barriers are discussed in the context of published literature.

Clinical guidelines can assist in the management of asthma. Decision support systems (DSSs) can enhance adherence to clinical guidelines but tend not to provide clinicians with cues for behavioral change strategies to promote patient self-management. The Stop Asthma Clinical System (SACS) is a DSS designed for this purpose. To assess feasibility, seven clinicians used SACS to guide well visits with 26 predominantly persistent pediatric asthma patients. Data were collected via survey and in-depth semi-structured interviews. SACS improved assessment of asthma severity and control, classification of and intervention in medicine and environmental trigger management problems, and development of an action plan (all p< 0.05). Clinician-patient communication was enhanced. The primary challenge was that SACS increased clinic visit time. SACS can enhance clinician behavior to improve patient asthma self-management, but more studies are indicated to mitigate temporal constraints and evaluate impact on clinician and patient communication and behavior as well as clinical outcomes.