Summary:
Have you ever worked in an ED, outpatient clinic or school health office and seen the same patients in an asthma crisis over and over again? You may have wondered why they continue to experience acute attacks and appear unable to comply with treatment plans. You may conclude these patients don’t have the right tools to manage asthma at home, work or school. Because in- and outpatient management of asthma is so complex and costly, alternative healthcare settings can assist with decreasing the severity and frequency of exacerbations of asthma via guided pharmacological therapy and reinforced patient education. A comprehensive disease management plan integrates patient information, clinical guidelines and educational outcomes to improve health status and reduce costs. Therefore, healthcare professionals can positively impact the lives of asthma patients through education — teaching daily management of the disease and avoidance of long-term problems.
Objectives:
The goal of this continuing education module is to describe how healthcare professionals can implement a comprehensive disease management program for patients with asthma. After studying the information presented here, you will be able to:
- Describe four reasons why asthma is increasing in the U.S.
- Explain the four components of a comprehensive disease management program for asthma
- Discuss the key components to a successful management plan
Approval Information
This CE course is approved for respiratory therapists.
This program has been approved for 1 contact hour of Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) credit by the American Association for Respiratory Care, 9425 N. MacArthur Blvd., Suite 100, Irving, TX 75063. AARC Sponsor ID: 9514012. This is a non-traditional course.
If you are a respiratory therapist, remember to give us your AARC member number when filling out your license number information.
Gannett Education is also approved by the Florida Board of Respiratory Care (provider #FBN 50-1489).