Asthma In Primary Care

About 10% of American children have asthma (Thakur et al., 2013). It is vital to understand what determinants cause childhood asthma to understand even with a low percentage, why it is still present. According to Williams et al., asthma is a health outcome which is a major impact on American youth (Williams et al., 2009). This health outcome not only impacts them throughout the years of being a child, but it has the potential of creating more serious health problems in the future. And without knowing what the causes are, it increases the rate asthma among children and prevents treatments from being implemented. It needs to be addressed by using results from prior studies in order to show how much of a problem childhood asthma is but also in finding and understanding the other underlying

America’s cities have been built upon population growth and economic development — essentially meeting the economic needs of investors. The problem is that public leaders don’t always think about public health. Thinking about what to build, and taking into consideration the health of the people in the community. According to Dr. Jackson, co-author of Designing healthy communities, states ‘what really impacts people’s health is where they live, how they live, and the other people they are with’ — i.e. their surrounding community. (Designing, 2013.)

As the world population grows, so does the amount of people in this world with Asthma. “In the last decade, the proportion of people with Asthma in the USA grew nearly 15%, with 479,300 hospitalizations and 1.9 million emergency department visits in 2009 alone”(Kaur, Bani Preet). Asthma affects the bronchi, bringing of air into and out of the lungs. When an Asthma attack happens, the airways or passages to the lungs, swell up and close so the air passing through is very minimal, causing air not to be able to reach the lungs and pain to the person. In most cases it is not deadly unless not handled properly. This disease causes it to be harder to stay active than it is for others. It is easily manageable if properly diagnosed and properly treated. “4 million americans under 18 have Asthma” (Bronson). It is mistaken in young children for their crying and hiccuping is mistaken for Asthma. Especially when they are sick since they are unable to speak. Asthma is a painful

“The population is the hallmark of public health” (Davis & Herman, 2011). It is estimated that 7.1 million children in the United States have asthma. Asthma is responsible for 14 .4 million days lost per school year. It is the most frequent

According to Ilmarinen, Tuomisto, Kankaaranta (2015), the age of onset is critical related to separating the "phenotypes" of asthma (p. 1). Obesity, smoking, and other lifestyle factors (alcohol consumption) play a role in the development of adult-onset asthma (Ilmarinen et al., 2015, p. 1). Additionally, this type can be associated with quick escalation of therapy via the step-wise approach (Ilmarinen et al., 2015). J.D. had many of the predisposing factors that placed him at risk for increased severity unless changes were made in his

Asthma is one of the most common diseases, it affects nearly 300 million people worldwide, and 25 million here in the US 4. “Worldwide, the number is expected to increase to 400 million by 2025” 4. Asthmas primary symptom is airflow obstruction, which results from narrowing of the airways in the lungs. Some common causes of asthma include smooth muscle contraction, inflammation, excessive mucus production, and foreign body or allergens.

Asthma is a chronic obstructive inflammatory lung disease that can affect all age groups and is characterized by repeated episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath (SOB), chest tightness, and coughing due to the increased sensitivity of the airway smooth muscle to various stimuli, as well as a buildup of mucus from the mucosal layer.1 The smooth muscle layer and the mucosal layer make up the lumen of the airway. As of now, there is no cure for asthma, however individuals with asthma are fully capable of living a normal life by controlling the symptoms. Factors such as the environment, allergies, respiratory infection and genetics play a role in determining who has asthma and who does not. The narrowing of the airways in combination with the

Access to care is essential in managing asthma. The patient and their caregiver should receive education regarding the basic facts about asthma. A patient whose asthma is well managed will be able to define what asthma is, and what it means to have well-controlled asthma. He or she should be knowledgeable about their medications and to be able to take them correctly. The patient should be able to monitor their symptoms and know how to treat them. Patient should also be aware of what environmental exposures trigger their asthma. These patient will also follow their established asthma plan and see their provider regularly.

Since there is no cure for asthma management of symptoms is crucial. Many of the articles examined focused on improving asthma self-efficacy and education to improve their quality of life especially in low-income populations. According to Martin et al. (2009) “low-income African American adults in Chicago had disproportionally higher asthma morbidity and mortality rates. Interventions that improve asthma self-efficacy for appropriate self-management behaviors might ultimately improve asthma control in the population”. Providing proper education and support to prevent acute asthma attacks will be vital. Even in an adult primary practice the adults could bring in symptomatic children with undiagnosed asthma or have questions about asthma. Patients need to manage their symptoms and take their medications because without treatment asthma can become life threatening. Medication education and teaching medication management will help keep patients with asthma healthy. Wilson et al. (2009) stated that only about half of patients with asthma take their medications at therapeutic doses. “Poor adherence exacerbates airway inflammation, and may result in suboptimal asthma control, functional limitations, decreased quality of life, excess health care use, and even death” (Wilson et al.,2009). Accurately diagnosing a cough or wheeze will be as an advance practice nurse in Richmond, Virginia will be important. Working in a clinical setting in Richmond will definitely expose a practitioner to patients with

Despite the availability of many effective treatments and evidence-based interventions, asthma still a significant problem in public health between children. Asthma is one of the top causes of hospital admission and emergency visits in the United States children (Mansfield, et al, 2015). Asthma causes significant restrictions on child’s activities, many work absences for parents, quality of life, and many absences from school days due to the increasing symptoms exacerbation. The severity of asthma may vary over the period of time, regularly, it is hard to categorize, and may not always be checked by objective procedures for instance lung function tests (Mansfield, et al, 2015). Theoretically, care of asthma stressed that the various set of

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases among American infants and children. When exposed to triggers, such as breathing in airborne pollen or having a respiratory infection, the lungs and airways become inflamed. Bothersome daily symptoms may interfere with a child’s day-to-day life, such as play time, school, playing sports, and sleep. When this disease is not managed properly, asthma attacks can be life threatening. Asthma is the same disease in pediatrics and adults, but youngsters face unique challenges. Childhood asthma is one of the top causes of emergency room visits, hospital stays and days missed from school. Regrettably, there is no cure for asthma and the symptoms may continue into adulthood, but with the right treatment

It is most prevalent among children up to age 20 and incidence decreases with age ("Most recent asthma data," n.d.). Per the World Health Organization (n.d.), asthma is a global public health concern and morbidity does not differ between developed and non-developed countries.  It is reported that there is currently an estimated 100-150 million people around the world with asthma ("Bronchial asthma," n.d.). Asthma has proved to have one of the largest financial impacts on society.  The annual cost of asthma in the US is estimated to be more than $56 billion ("Cost of asthma," n.d.). The expenses range from health care costs and medications to adults missing work because of an exacerbation.  Asthma is one of the most common causes of emergency room visits each year and one of the biggest causes of pediatric hospital admissions ("Bronchial asthma," n.d.). Living with asthma can physically, psychologically, and socially impact an individual.  Patients living with asthma often have multiple medications and interventions to control their asthma. Asthma can directly affect daily living by influencing sleep, activity tolerance, and perception of health (Trakalo, 2015). In addition, asthma has been shown to directly correlate with poverty, education level, allergens, and air quality ("Most recent asthma data," n.d.).  The most recent asthma data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n.d.), report

Chronic lung diseases affect millions of individual’s in all age groups across the United States. Breathing is a necessary function to life but to people that suffer from respiratory illnesses it is a precious gift that many individuals do not consider & may take for granted. Many factors can determine an individual’s susceptibility to illness including genetics, and the lifestyle choices that are made such as smoking; along with the environmental conditions where we live, work or play. Asthma, a chronic lung disease, has affected approximately 25 million people in America of which 7 million are children. It causes a narrowing and an inflammation process to occur which results in a tightness in the chest, wheezing, and shortness of breath with repeated coughing episodes.

Woo and Wynne (2012) define asthma as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways (Woo & Wynne, 2012). Asthma is a condition that cannot be cured, but its symptoms can be controlled (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Inhaled corticosteroids are known to be the most effective form of long-term management of persistent asthma (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2013). Inhaled corticosteroids help keep asthma under control daily and make it less likely to have an asthma attack (Mayo Clinic, 2014). Beta adrenergic agonists are used as quick relief medication to treat acute asthma attacks, but regular long term use of beta adrenergic agonists are not as beneficial as inhaled corticosteroids (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2013).

This assignment will explore and discuss asthma through the insight of a ten year old asthma patient Miss B. Miss B’s description of asthma will be defined whilst aligning this to current literature. Patient care treatment plans will be discussed according to the New Zealand health system, this will be contrasted to what support Miss B receives in her local community. Current New Zealand best practice guidelines in the primary health care setting will be discussed, and its limitations explored. Pharmacological interventions in this setting will be analysed and discussed according to low acuity presentations. Miss B’s situation will be discussed as will shortcomings of the health care system in relation to asthma. Suggestions for improvement of Miss B’s quality of life will be explored. Current New Zealand health promotion strategies according to asthma will also be explored and discussed.