Asthma Action Plan

BACKGROUND: Allergic diseases, especially inhalation allergies, have reached epidemic levels and environmental factors play an important role in their development. Climate change influences the occurrence, frequency, and severity of allergic diseases. METHODS: The contents of this article were selected by the authors and developed section by section according to their expertise and the current state of knowledge. The sections were then discussed and agreed upon amongst all authors...

BACKGROUND: Digital technology tailored for those with limited health literacy has the potential to reduce health inequalities. Although mobile apps can support self-management in chronic diseases, there is little evidence that this approach applies to people with limited health literacy. We aimed to determine the acceptability of a self-management app in adults living with asthma and have limited health literacy and the feasibility of delivering the intervention and assessing outcomes...

INTRODUCTION: The health system is one of the professional sectors perhaps most at risk of occupational asthma. The aims of this study were to evaluate the level of knowledge of health care workers (HCWs) on occupational asthma and asthmogenic agents and to pave the way to effective educational action on the subject. METHODS: A multicenter transversal study including 180 HCWs was carried out between July and December 2020. A validated questionnaire addressed four dimensions: knowledge of asthmatic disease, knowledge of occupational asthma, knowledge of prognosis of occupational asthma and knowledge on the prevention of occupational asthma...

The arrival of COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 adversely affected every aspect of human life, including the management of asthma. The pandemic has forced clinicians to revisit the application of high-risk aerosol-generating procedures in asthma management, including spirometry and nebuliser therapy. The use of commercial spacers with pressurised metered-dose inhalers to replace nebulisation is limited by the high cost and pandemic-induced stock unavailability of these inhalers. The need for social distancing, healthcare reserves reallocation, and scarce personal protective equipment has promote increased telemedicine uptake for patients' asthma control and monitoring...

Objective: To compare the effects of the China Children's Asthma Action Plan (CCAAP)-based remote joint management model with traditional management model on the control of childhood asthma. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the general data and asthma control assessment data of 219 children with asthma who attended the respiratory department of Guangzhou Women's and Children's Medical Center from April 2021 to October 2021 and were followed up for 1 year or more. According to the follow-up management model, the CCAAP-based remote joint management model was used in the observation group and the traditional management model was used in the control group, and the propensity score matching method was applied to match the data of children in the two management models for comparison...

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a common childhood disease that leads to impairment of quality of life (QOL) of both the children affected by the disease and their caregivers. Management of asthma includes pharmacotherapy along with education about asthma and its self-management, which is most often given verbally. There is limited evidence regarding the benefits of using a written asthma action plan (WAAP) that has been improved using pictorial representation. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a WAAP in improving the QOL of children with bronchial asthma and also of their caregivers...

Eight million Ukrainians have taken refuge in the European Union. Many have asthma and/or allergic rhinitis and/or urticaria, and around 100,000 may have a severe disease. Cultural and language barriers are a major obstacle to appropriate management. Two widely available mHealth apps, MASK-air® (Mobile Airways Sentinel NetworK) for the management of rhinitis and asthma and CRUSE® (Chronic Urticaria Self Evaluation) for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, were updated to include Ukrainian versions that make the documented information available to treating physicians in their own language...

BACKGROUND: The aim of these clinical standards is to aid the diagnosis and management of asthma in low-resource settings in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: A panel of 52 experts in the field of asthma in LMICs participated in a two-stage Delphi process to establish and reach a consensus on the clinical standards. RESULTS: Eighteen clinical standards were defined: Standard 1, Every individual with symptoms and signs compatible with asthma should undergo a clinical assessment; Standard 2, In individuals (>6 years) with a clinical assessment supportive of a diagnosis of asthma, a hand-held spirometry measurement should be used to confirm variable expiratory airflow limitation by demonstrating an acute response to a bronchodilator; Standard 3, Pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry should be performed in individuals (>6 years) to support diagnosis before treatment is commenced if there is diagnostic uncertainty; Standard 4, Individuals with an acute exacerbation of asthma and clinical signs of hypoxaemia or increased work of breathing should be given supplementary oxygen to maintain saturation at 94-98%; Standard 5, Inhaled short-acting beta-2 agonists (SABAs) should be used as an emergency reliever in individuals with asthma via an appropriate spacer device for metered-dose inhalers; Standard 6, Short-course oral corticosteroids should be administered in appropriate doses to individuals having moderate to severe acute asthma exacerbations (minimum 3-5 days); Standard 7, Individuals having a severe asthma exacerbation should receive emergency care, including oxygen therapy, systemic corticosteroids, inhaled bronchodilators (e...

In March 2023, the European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airways diseases (EUFOREA) organized its bi-annual Summit in Brussels with expert panel members of EUFOREA, representatives of the EUFOREA patient advisory board, and the EUFOREA board and management teams. Its aim was to define the research, educational and advocacy initiatives to be developed by EUFOREA over the next 2 years until the 10th anniversary in 2025. EUFOREA is an international non-for-profit organization forming an alliance of all stakeholders dedicated to reducing the prevalence and burden of chronic allergic and respiratory diseases via research, education, and advocacy...

UNLABELLED: The prevalence and morbidity of Asthma in the United States has increased since the 1991 National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) and updated Expert Panel Report -3 (EPR-3) guidelines in 2007 were published. To improve provider adherence to the NAEPP EPR-3 guidelines Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in California integrated the HealtheIntentSM Pediatric Asthma Registry (PAR) into the electronic medical record (EMR) in 2015. METHODS: A serial cross-sectional design was used to compare provider management of CHOC MediCal asthma patients before 2014 (N = 6606) and after 2018 (N = 6945) integration of the Registry with NAEPP guidelines into the EMR...

Plant species vary under different climate conditions and the distribution of pollen in the air and their trends can be used to assess the impact of climate change on public health. In 2015, MASK-air® (Mobile Airways Sentinel networK for rhinitis and asthma) was launched as a project of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-on-AHA, DG Santé and DG CONNECT). This project aimed to develop a warning system to inform patients about the pollen season onset. SILAM (System for Integrated modeLling of Atmospheric composition), a global-to-meso-scale dispersion model was developed by the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI)...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Adults with asthma who experience difficulties in emotion regulation are prone to developing psychopathological symptoms that may affect their self-management activities and symptom control. The current research investigated the role of psychological flexibility and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in relation to mental health outcomes (psychological distress and quality of life) among patients with asthma in Pakistan. METHOD: A sample of 200 adults, diagnosed with asthma (32% men, 68% women; M age = 42...

RATIONALE: Audit and feedback is an evidence-based implementation strategy, but studies reporting the use of theory to guide design elements are limited. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Within the context of a programme of research aiming to improve the implementation of supported asthma self-management in UK primary care (IMPlementing IMProved Asthma self-management as RouTine [IMP2 ART]), we aimed to design and develop theoretically-informed audit and feedback that highlighted supported asthma self-management provision and areas for improvement in primary care general practices...

INTRODUCTION: Asthma prevalence is 262 million globally, with more than 1,000 deaths each day, most of them preventable. We were performing a longitudinal study, in Brazil, with the objective to following up patients who had a severe asthma attack and attended an emergency room (ATTACK Study). Here we present a case of a 28-year-old woman presenting what was considered moderate asthma, enrolled in ATTACK, who subsequently died of asthma. CASE STUDY: The patient was initially evaluated at an emergency room (ER) with uncontrolled asthma and no regular treatment...

There is a scarcity in both epidemiological studies and forecast models on the impact of air pollution on respiratory allergic responses in Malaysia. The quantification of baseline allows for an understanding of the severity of the impact and target areas for intervention. High-quality forecasts not only provide information for the assessment of potential outcomes but also the dissemination of public health warnings, such as the application of mobile-based early warning systems. There is a need for a data repository system that facilitates research on such studies...

COPD patients with asthma features usually benefit from inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)-containing regimens, but their burden and diagnostic criteria remain to be established. The aims of this study were to estimate the proportion of patients with asthma features among patients with physician-diagnosed COPD and to investigate differences in clinical characteristics and current medications between COPD patients with asthma features and patients with COPD alone. A cross-sectional study was conducted at two respiratory out-patient clinics at the University Medical Center in Ho Chi Minh City and Bach Mai Hospital in Ha Noi, Vietnam...

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Although home action plans and the use of maintenance medications have improved daily management and control of asthma, many children still require emergency department care at least once per year. Emergency clinicians must be able to manage patients with acute asthma exacerbations and determine their safe disposition. This issue reviews the current evidence-based emergency department management recommendations for moderate to severe acute asthma in pediatric patients...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Rosa webbiana (Family: Rosaceae) is used by South Asian herbalists to treat gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders. AIM OF THE STUDY: This research aimed at multiple targets to verify R. webbiana for treating diarrhea and asthma. In vitro, in vivo, and in silico experiments were planned to demonstrate the antispasmodic and bronchodilator potential of R. webbiana. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The bioactive compounds of R...

BACKGROUND: A written action plan (WAP) for managing asthma exacerbations is recommended. OBJECTIVE: We compared the effect on unscheduled medical contacts (UMCs) of a digital action plan (DAP) accessed via a smartphone Web application (app) combined with a WAP on paper versus the same WAP alone. METHODS: This randomized, unblinded, multicenter (offline recruitment in private offices and public hospitals by physicians), parallel-group trial included asthma patients who were either children (6-12 years) or adults (18-60 years) and who had experienced at least one severe exacerbation in the previous year...

This article focuses on the management of the most common on-field medical emergencies. As with any discipline in medicine, a well-defined plan and systematic approach is the cornerstone of quality health care delivery. In addition, the team-based collaboration is necessary for the safety of the athlete and the success of the treatment plan.