Creating an Asthma Management Plan

Monday, July 27, 2009, 12:32
Asthma
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Nancy:

When someone gets a diagnosis of asthma, they need to take a proactive approach from that moment on. It doesn’t matter whether it was the first attack or the tenth attack. You must take a proactive approach from that point on, and proactive means you ask the doctor for an explanation of what happened.

Erin:

And if you don’t understand, make sure you do.

Nancy:

Exactly, before you leave because the more you understand, the better able you’ll be to prevent it from happening again. The very next thing is [to] ask for a written management plan, and that means, “What do I have to do every day? What do I do in times of an episode as I see it coming on?” And also, “What do I do if nothing I’m doing is working?” And so how to recognize an asthma emergency, know when to call 911 or it’s things that you have to learn.

Erin:

Well, what is an asthma management plan exactly, Nancy?

Nancy:

Well, it’s individualized.

Erin:

They all have different ones.

Nancy:

They all have different symptoms and different signs, and so, they all have different management plans. And the management plan is simply a written plan of action that’s provided by your physician, and it says, “This is what you do every day. This is what you do when you’re starting to see symptoms. This is what you do if treating those symptoms is not working and you need more help. This is what you do if you’re scared.” But all of these things need to be written down. Your plan also needs to include, “Do you have allergies? Do you have sinusitis? Do you have any other type of condition that is contributing to your asthma?”

And, if so, what are you supposed to do about that as well? So, there is no quote-unquote “one size fits all” form or treatment plan. It all must be customized to the individual.

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