Respiratory therapists play a significant role in the treatment and management of asthma. This course provides an overview of the four key elements of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Expert Panel Report 3 (2007):
- Measures of assessment and monitoring
- Education for a partnership in asthma care
- Control of environmental factors and comorbid conditions that affect asthma
- Pharmacologic therapy
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- Identify the proper procedure for obtaining spirometric measures according to the ATS standards
- Discuss other diagnostic testing methods that would support the diagnosis of asthma
- Discuss the pathophysiology of asthma
- Identify the importance of spirometry in the diagnosis of asthma according to the NHLBI EPR-3 guidelines
- Apply the stepwise approach to pharmacologic therapy in gaining control of asthma
- Differentiate currently available asthma medications by category
- Discuss the NHLBI EPR-3 pharmacologic recommendations for the treatment of asthma
- Discuss the mechanism of action, benefits, side effects, and potential uses of currently available asthma medications
- Define disease self-management
- Understand EPR-3 Guidelines for Asthma disease self-management
- Identify barriers to effective disease self-management
- Identify how the respiratory therapist can facilitate disease self-management