Abstract
Introduction.
The high prevalence of asthma in the general population necessitates the assessment of medical students' theoretical knowledge regarding the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of this disease.
Aim.
To determine the level of basic knowledge among senior medical students across key thematic blocks of asthma.
Materials and methods.
The fourth stage of the multicenter study "The Assessment of Physicians' (Medical Students') Knowledge in the Field of Bronchial Asthma" (ASSA) was conducted between October 2023 and May 2025 using a validated, author-developed questionnaire based on current national and international clinical guidelines. The questionnaire consistedof 21 questions divided into two blocks: "Etiopathogenesis" and "Pharmacotherapy".
Results.
A total of 487 correctly completed questionnaires from 5 universities of the Russian Federation were analyzed. The average rate of correct answers (ARC) for the entire questionnaire was 69.9 % (95 % CI 68.5–71.3 %), with a median (Me) of 70.6 % [IQR: 59.5%–82.5 %]. In the "Etiopathogenesis" section, the ARC reached 84.0% (95% CI 82.5–85.4 %), whereas in the "Pharmacotherapy" section it was only 59.3 % (95 % CI 57.6–61.0 %). The maximum ARC values were obtained for questions regarding asthma control levels (96.3 %) and the definition of the term "status asthmaticus" (92.6 %). Conversely, the minimum values were recorded for questions concerning sublingual immunotherapy for house dust mite allergies (16.2 %) and add-on therapy at the 4
th
step of treatment (27.7%). Significant inter-center differences were revealed across the entire questionnaire (H (4) = 53.263, p
Conclusion.
Senior medical students demonstrated a proficient level of knowledge regarding the etiopathogenesis and diagnosis of asthma, whereas their understanding of its pharmacotherapy remains insufficient. The significant inter-center variability in the average rate of correct answers underscores the urgent need to standardize educational methods and strengthen practical training in asthma management and treatment selection.