Asthma Education for Pediatric Patients
Asthma is not curable but it is controllable. In certain cases, nurses must be prepared to provide asthma education to help instruct patients and families about the appropriate asthma management plan. Use this course to learn asthma basics and to help your pediatric patients and their families acquire the knowledge they need to successfully manage this chronic medical condition.
Course Details
Overview
Asthma, a chronic condition that leads to significant morbidity and mortality, affects 24.6 million people in the United States; 6.2 million of those are children. These numbers make asthma control a top priority for healthcare providers. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR-3), Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma, comprehensive patient, family, and community education is crucial to disease management.
In inpatient settings, asthma educators typically teach children and their families how to manage their disease; however, if no asthma educator is present, nurses may take on this role. To ensure no important information is missed, nurses should be familiar with EPR-3 guidelines, and they should be alert to other teachable moments that might arise during patient education.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Identify triggers associated with asthma.
- Discuss medications used to manage asthma.
- Describe strategies for educating children with asthma and their families and caregivers.
Presented by:
Casey L. Norris, DNP, MSN, RN, PCNS-BC,
Casey L. Norris is an assistant professor at Lincoln Memorial University in Knoxville (Cedar Bluff), Tennessee.
Linda Gibson-Young, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP
Linda Gibson-Young is an associate professor at Auburn University School of Nursing in Auburn, Alabama.