A list of sources for asthma education programs and materials is provided. Renewed emphasis is placed on providing patients with both a written treatment plan for daily self-management and a written action plan for management of exacerbations. Examples are provided that are applicable to both children and adults. New section on assessing and responding to cultural and language differences was added. New section on patient education for non-chlorofluorocarbon inhalers was added.
Patient education is an essential component of successful asthma management.
Current management approaches require patients and families to effectively carry out complex pharmacologic regimens, institute environmental control strategies, detect and self-treat most asthma exacerbations, and communicate appropriately with health care providers. Patient education is the mechanism through which patients learn to successfully accomplish those tasks. This component covers strategies for enhancing the delivery of patient education and improving the likelihood that patients will follow clinical recommendations, as well as key messages to communicate to the patient. When references are not cited, recommendations are based on the opinion of the Expert Panel. This site produced by the Journal of the American Medical Association .