Asthma Management Services provide an individualized step-by-step approach to managing asthma in adults and children. The goals of the plan are to prevent chronic symptoms, maintain (near) "normal" physiology, maintain normal activity levels, reduce long term-medical costs, provide optimal pharmacology, and meet patients' and families' expectations and satisfactions.

Asthma Action Team

The plan's multidisciplinary team includes:

• Patient's physician
• Certified asthma educators
• Respiratory therapists

Patient Education

Education is the key component of the Asthma Management Action Plan. Through literature, videos, and one-on-one sessions with staff, patients learn topics such as:

• Medication management
• Delivery device instruction
• Peak flow monitoring
• Trigger proofing
• Exercise
• School and sports issues
• Nutrition
• Special situation management: seasonal asthma, cough variant asthma, exercise induced asthma, stress induced asthma, and asthma and pregnancy

Sessions

Normally, a minimum of four sessions is recommended, but additional sessions may be necessary to meet an individual patient's needs. Each session may last one to two hours, and family participation is encouraged.

• Session 1
  The first session includes an assessment interview and diagnostic spirometry. In addition, delivery device instruction and medication management will be reviewed.
• Session 2
  The second session focuses on peak flow monitoring, including technique and adherence to an action plan.
• Session 3
  The third session encompasses identifying the individual patient's triggers and developing ways to prevent the onset of asthma.
• Session 4
  The fourth and last session includes another diagnostic spirometry, final delivery device review and an opportunity to develop a partnership between therapist and patient for long-term asthma management.

Contact Information

Phone: (504) 780-5701