Ask your patients these seven asthma questions
- 1. Do you understand what asthma is? ...
- 2. Do you know what triggers your asthma? ...
- 3. Do you know when to come to the ED? ...
- 4. Do you understand the difference between your medications? ...
- 5. Will you seek follow-up care? ...
- 6. Do you know how to use your inhaler? ...
- 7. Do you monitor symptoms at home?
- Do you understand what asthma is? ...
- Do you know what triggers your asthma? ...
- Do you know when to come to the ED? ...
- Do you understand the difference between your medications? ...
- Will you seek follow-up care? ...
- Do you know how to use your inhaler? ...
- Do you monitor symptoms at home?
What should be included in an asthma history question?
Asthma History Questions A detailed medical history of the new patient who is known or thought to have asthma should address the following items 1. Symptoms Cough Wheezing Shortness of breath
Should global assessment questions be used to assess asthma symptoms?
Vague, global assessment questions lead to incomplete clinical information and places the patient at risk for inadequate asthma therapy. A better approach is to use specific questions to determine the frequency of daytime or nighttime symptoms. Publication types Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
How do I know if I have asthma?
Having a doctor check how well your lungs work and check for allergies can help you find out if you have asthma. During a checkup, a doctor will ask if you cough a lot, especially at night. He or she will also ask whether your breathing problems are worse after physical activity or at certain times of year.
Do patients know enough about asthma management?
Many patients don’t know enough about management of asthma, warns Rita Cydulka, MD, residency director for the department of emergency medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Can asthma patients see symptoms early?
"Talk to them about monitoring their symptoms and peak flows at home, so they can recognize early on that their asthma is worsening," suggests Cydulka. "It’s rare that we see patients early on in the asthma attack. We usually see them as time goes on."
Is asthma a chronic inflammatory disease?
Explain to patients that asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways , recommends Karen Huss, RN, DNSc, CANP, FAAN, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore, and member of the National Asthma Education Program Nurses’ Committee, part of the Bethesda, MD-based National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "This has implications for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of the disease," she says.
Can asthmatics be allergic to cockroaches?
Asthmatics may be allergic to indoor allergens such as house dust mites, cat hair, dog dander, and cockroaches, says Huss. "Once I determine what the patient is allergic to by allergy skin testing, I emphasize allergen specific environmental control measures to reduce chronic inflammation in the airways."
Do asthma patients have allergies?
Studies demonstrated that patients presenting to EDs for asthma have a high rate of sensitization to indoor allergens , says Huss. "About 80% of young children and 50% of more of adults will have an allergic component to their disease."
Can primary care physicians prescribe analcoteroid steroids?
Patients may be managed by primary care practitioners who aren’t following the guidelines, notes Nowak. "You may need to look at what the chronic care physician is doing. They might not meet the [institute’s] recommendations. If a patient comes in who isn’t being managed as well as they should be, we should write them a prescription for analcoteroid steroids if they need them."
How Can You Tell if You Have Asthma?
It can be hard to tell if someone has asthma, especially in children under age 5. Having a doctor check how well your lungs work and check for allergies can help you find out if you have asthma.
What Is an Asthma Attack?
An asthma attack may include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and trouble breathing. The attack happens in your body’s airways, which are the paths that carry air to your lungs. As the air moves through your lungs, the airways become smaller, like the branches of a tree are smaller than the tree trunk. During an asthma attack, the sides of the airways in your lungs swell and the airways shrink. Less air gets in and out of your lungs, and mucous that your body makes clogs up the airways.
How Is Asthma Treated?
Take your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you and stay away from things that can trigger an attack to control your asthma.
How does asthma affect the airways?
During an asthma attack, the sides of the airways in your lungs swell and the airways shrink. Less air gets in and out of your lungs, and mucous that your body makes clogs up the airways.
How to find out how well your lungs are working?
The doctor may also do a breathing test, called spirometry, to find out how well your lungs are working by testing how much air you can breathe out after taking a very deep breath before and after you use asthma medicine.
What are the two types of asthma medicine?
Asthma medicines come in two types—quick-relief and long-term control . Quick-re lief medicines control the symptoms of an asthma attack. If you need to use your quick-re lief medicines more and more, visit your doctor to see if you need a different medicine.
What are the triggers for a cockroach attack?
Some of the most common triggers are tobacco smoke, dust mites, outdoor air pollution, cockroach allergen, pets, mold, smoke from burning wood or grass, and infections like flu.
