[Knowledge about infant asthma in medical students of Mérida, Yucatán, México]. / Conocimiento sobre asma infantil en estudiantes de medicina de Mérida, Yucatán, México.

146 undergraduate medical students at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán completed a questionnaire designed to measure knowledge about childhood asthma. Knowledge about asthma increased over each of the 7 years of the medical course, but the global qualification was lower their 60 points. The results suggest the necessity of implementation an educational program about childhood asthma.

[Development of a questionnaire to assess the knowledge on infantile++ asthma in medical students]. / Elaboración de un cuestionario para evaluar el conocimiento sobre el asma infantil en estudiantes de medicina.

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness. The increasing morbidity and mortality are striking contrast to major scientific advances in our understanding of asthma. It is now regarded as a chronic rather than a episodic illness and the major factors contributing to asthma morbidity and mortality are underdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. The majority of children with asthma are cared for by nonspecialist physicians. Studies have shown that only small proportions of practitioners have an adequate understanding of the changing concepts of asthma management. We development an asthma knowledge questionnaire based on "Guidelines and the Practice Parameters for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" of The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The questionnaires include 25 questions on definition, physiopathology, diagnosis and treatment.