Additional Information
Book Details
Abstract
Are you involved in caring for people with asthma within your practice?
If so, this practical manual will give you all the relevant information you need to know for a high-quality, efficient asthma management service, including:
This book contains the essential information you need if you are part of the community asthma care team, whether you are a practice nurse, specialist nurse, GP, community pharmacist or physiotherapist.
Written by two experts in the field, Vital Asthma will be an invaluable companion, allowing you to approach situations within your practice with confidence. And it fits in your pocket, containing all the information in 96 printed pages!
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vital Asthma cover front.pdf | Cover | ||
| Contents | 3 | ||
| Foreword | 8 | ||
| Introduction | 10 | ||
| The scope of the problem | 10 | ||
| What ‘living with asthma’ means for patients | 10 | ||
| Managing asthma in primary care | 10 | ||
| Using this book | 11 | ||
| Acknowledgements | 12 | ||
| 1 Asthma: some background | 13 | ||
| Anatomy and physiology | 13 | ||
| Sympathetic nervous system | 14 | ||
| Parasympathetic nervous system | 14 | ||
| Applying this knowledge to the asthma patient | 15 | ||
| Aetiology and pathophysiology | 16 | ||
| Genetic predisposition | 16 | ||
| Environmental factors | 17 | ||
| What happens in allergic asthma? | 17 | ||
| Real life problems for asthma patients | 18 | ||
| Patient information | 20 | ||
| 2 Atopy, allergy and asthma | 21 | ||
| Atopy | 21 | ||
| Allergy | 22 | ||
| Asthma and allergy | 22 | ||
| Patient information | 23 | ||
| 3 Diagnosis and assessment of the asthma patient | 23 | ||
| What to look for | 24 | ||
| Relevant questions to ask | 25 | ||
| BTS/SIGN guidelines | 25 | ||
| Other general issues | 27 | ||
| Patient information | 28 | ||
| 4 Objective measurement of lung function | 29 | ||
| Peak expiratory flow monitoring | 29 | ||
| Advantages | 29 | ||
| Disadvantages | 29 | ||
| Spirometry | 30 | ||
| Advantages | 30 | ||
| Disadvantages | 30 | ||
| How are the tests used? | 30 | ||
| Patient ‘A’ | 30 | ||
| Patient ‘B’ | 31 | ||
| Patient ‘C’ | 32 | ||
| Patient ‘D’ | 32 | ||
| Talking to the patient with asthma | 32 | ||
| Topics to include | 33 | ||
| 5 Pharmacological management | 35 | ||
| BRONCHODILATORS | 35 | ||
| Beta 2 agonists | 35 | ||
| Anticholinergics | 36 | ||
| Theophyllines | 36 | ||
| Anti-inflammatory agents | 37 | ||
| Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) | 37 | ||
| Corticosteroids (inhaled or oral) | 38 | ||
| Cromoglicate and nedocromil sodium | 39 | ||
| Patient information | 40 | ||
| 6 Non-pharmacological management | 40 | ||
| Allergen avoidance | 40 | ||
| Environmental pollutants | 41 | ||
| Smoking and asthma | 42 | ||
| Smoking – the facts | 42 | ||
| Why is giving up smoking important? | 43 | ||
| What can you do? | 43 | ||
| Practical help | 44 | ||
| Patient information | 45 | ||
| 7 Acute severe asthma in adults | 46 | ||
| Moderate asthma | 46 | ||
| Features of acute severe asthma | 47 | ||
| Management of acute severe asthma | 47 | ||
| Life-threatening asthma | 48 | ||
| Management of life-threatening asthma | 48 | ||
| Patient information | 49 | ||
| 8 Children with asthma | 49 | ||
| Introduction | 49 | ||
| Asthma and growth retardation | 50 | ||
| Causes and assessment | 50 | ||
| Treatment | 52 | ||
| 0–2 years of age | 52 | ||
| 2–5 years of age | 53 | ||
| School-age children | 54 | ||
| Adolescent problems | 54 | ||
| The role of parents and carers | 55 | ||
| School/playgroup environment | 55 | ||
| 9 Asthma in pregnancy | 56 | ||
| Specific problems in the mother | 57 | ||
| Specific problems in the fetus | 57 | ||
| Aims of asthma management in pregnancy | 58 | ||
| Possible concerns on the patient’s part | 58 | ||
| ‘Will my asthma get worse?’ | 58 | ||
| ‘Will the drugs harm my baby?’ | 58 | ||
| ‘Will my baby have asthma?’ | 59 | ||
| ‘Should I stop taking my medication?’ | 59 | ||
| Patient information | 60 | ||
| 10 Asthma in older adults | 60 | ||
| Occupational asthma | 61 | ||
| Diagnosis | 61 | ||
| Implications of occupational asthma | 62 | ||
| Management of occupational asthma | 62 | ||
| Asthma in the later years | 62 | ||
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) | 64 | ||
| Patient information | 64 | ||
| 11 Educating patients about asthma management | 65 | ||
| Goals of management | 66 | ||
| Towards achieving these goals | 67 | ||
| General reasons for poor self-management | 67 | ||
| How to teach patients | 68 | ||
| What should patient teaching include? | 68 | ||
| Tips for successful teaching | 68 | ||
| Specific points | 69 | ||
| Inhalers | 69 | ||
| Monitoring | 70 | ||
| Practical and communication issues | 71 | ||
| Allergen avoidance | 72 | ||
| 12 Review and follow-up | 72 | ||
| How often should I see my asthma patients? | 73 | ||
| What do I do when I see them? | 73 | ||
| Are there any specific questions I need to ask? | 74 | ||
| Asthma action plans | 75 | ||
| Outcomes | 75 | ||
| Content | 75 | ||
| Stepping down treatment | 75 | ||
| Patient information | 77 | ||
| 13 Setting up a clinic | 78 | ||
| Arguments for an asthma clinic | 78 | ||
| Must-do criteria | 78 | ||
| Should-do criteria | 79 | ||
| Could-do criteria | 79 | ||
| 14 Professional issues for practice nurses running asthma clinics | 80 | ||
| Knowledge base | 81 | ||
| Professional autonomy | 82 | ||
| Prescribing and acting within set/approved boundaries | 82 | ||
| The way ahead | 83 | ||
| Glossary of terms | 84 | ||
| Suggested further reading | 88 | ||
| Centres which run courses | 90 |