The use of the self-management plan system of care in adult asthma

Abstract

KEYWORDS Asthma self-management plans;Asthma action plans; Asthma managementSummary The development of self-management plans arose as clinicians tried to design better methods by which they could deliver asthma care and reduce the significant mortality and morbidity associated with this disease. The basic principles that resulted have been widely endorsed, and self-management plans are now recommended in the long-term management of adult asthma. Self-management plans essentially focus on the early recognition of unstable or deteriorating asthma, by monitoring peak flow or symptoms. Through the use of written guidelines, patients are then able to determine when it is necessary to adjust therapy or obtain medical assistance.There is now convincing evidence that the use of self-management plans by patients with asthma leads to a marked reduction in morbidity and a reduced requirement for acute medical treatment including hospital admissions. Recent research has also clarified many of the different issues concerning their structure and implementation. In some respects the skill in the use of the asthma self-management plan system of care is the ability to modify the standard plans to meet the particular needs of the individual asthmatic patient, including their preferences.

Mortality in Asthma-Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Overlap in the United States

“…Asthma UK, www.asthma.org.uk; Asthma Society of Canada, www.asthma.ca; Family Physician Airways Group of Canada, www.fpagc.com; National Asthma Council Australia, www.nationalasthma.org.au) and in research publications (e.g. 247,248 ). Health care providers should become familiar with action plans that are relevant to their local health care system, treatment options, and cultural and literacy context.…”

Understanding what asthma plans mean: a linguistic analysis of terminology used in published texts

“…23 Asthma plans need to 'reflect the medical practice … and health care system of [their] community.' 34 For example, individual asthma plans can be implemented within an organisational asthma management plan and/or there can be differences in the costs and availability of medications which could affect their use. However, the healthcare context of different asthma plans was rarely explicitly stated in the literature we analysed, and this clearly has potentially important implications for the synonymous use of terms.…”

“…34,35 Defined in 2004 as a 'process whereby individual people with asthma make changes to their treatment in response to [recognised] changes in the severity of their asthma in accordance with pre-determined guidelines', 34 this same definition was previously used simply to refer to 'asthma self-management'. 35 Analysis of this and other fused terms such as 'personalised, written self management action plan', 6,36 within their textual contexts, suggests that fusion occurs as academics and health professionals endeavour to bring together and make sense of this complex picture in which different types of asthma plans, and different terms, are used nationally and internationally.…”

Asthma action plans: use it or lose it

“…We know that education programmes that teach early recognition and treatment of deteriorating asthma can effectively minimise hospitalisation and emergency visits for asthma [1]. These messages can be encapsulated as a written action plan [2] and possession of a written action plan is probably a good marker that a treatment review and education has taken place.…”

“…Early exacerbation management is generally divided into an action plan for a mild exacerbation and instructions on managing a severe episode. Written action plans can be presented in a variety of ways to suit the needs of the doctor and the patient [2].…”