Asthma Patient Education

• Goal: Increase understanding, skills, satisfaction and confidence to increase compliance and self-management of asthma
• Develop partnership between healthcare professionals, patient and the patient’s family
• Continual process to provide the patient and their family with appropriate information (eg asthma is a chronic condition) and training to allow the patient to remain well and modify therapy according to predetermined medication plan
  • Plan includes monitoring, a written asthma action plan containing specific information about medication and dosage changes based on symptoms and/or PEF, when and how to access medical care, and regular follow-up

• Education should be provided over several visits
  • Inquire also about patient’s compliance to the treatment plan and their ways of avoiding risk factors

• Improve compliance: The patient is more likely to be compliant with medicine regimens if:
  • The diagnosis is accepted and the patient realizes that asthma can be dangerous or can be a problem
  • The patient believes the treatment is safe
  • The patient feels in control and there is good communication between the patient and provider

• Healthcare professionals should help patients to recognize deterioration in asthma control and should educate patients to seek medical attention if:
  • There is severe asthma attack and respiratory distress (ie severe dyspnea, difficulty talking)
  • Reliever medication is needed more than every 4 hours and symptoms are still not improving

Self-monitoring

• If possible and based on resources of the healthcare system, on the initial visit, concept of PEF monitoring may be introduced to the motivated patient
  • Patients with more than mild disease should receive training on how to measure and record PEF
• Self-monitoring is not reliable in children
• If PEF monitoring is not an option, patient should be educated to assess their status based on symptoms

Written Asthma Action Plan

• May help patients recognize and respond appropriately to an asthma attack
• Should include specific, individualized instructions about medications and medical care access
• Changes to medications may include the following:
  • Increasing as-needed inhaled low-dose corticosteroid-Formoterol doses
  • The use of an inhaler containing rapid-onset long-acting beta₂-agonist with low-dose corticosteroid
  • Other inhaled corticosteroids and inhaled corticosteroid-long-acting beta₂-agonist maintenance controlled regimens
  • A short-course oral corticosteroids for patients unresponsive to increased doses of reliever and controller medications, rapid deterioration, PEF or FEV₁ <60% of personal best, or a history of sudden severe exacerbations