Asthma
Healthcare Professionals
As a healthcare professional, you want to improve the quality of life for your patients with asthma. Understanding environmental asthma triggers is an important first step. EPA promotes environmental management as a standard of care and clinical practice and provides a variety of resources that healthcare professionals and people with asthma can use to take action.
- Play an asthma video for your patients and caregivers
- Provide free resources to your patients and caregivers
- Encourage the use of asthma action plans
- Develop a comprehensive asthma home visit program
- Learn more through online courses
For all EPA asthma resources and publications, visit the Publications webpage.
Play an asthma video for your patients and caregivers
 (WMV, 51 M, 13:30) | Transcript (TXT, 15 K) | Juegue el video (WMV, 54 M, 13:30) | La versión del texto del video (TXT, 19 K) |
Breathing Freely: Controlling Asthma Triggers Video (Controlando los Factores del Asma) This video features medical professionals, families and children living with asthma.
|
Provide the following free resources to your patients and caregivers
 |
Help Your Child Gain Control Over Asthma An asthma management guide for all reading levels.
|
 |
Dusty The Asthma Goldfish and His Asthma Triggers Filled with children's games that teach about asthma triggers and how to avoid them.
|
 |
Clearing the Air: 10 Steps to Making Your Home Asthma-Friendly
One-page document that outlines basic actions to reduce triggers.
|
 |
Clear Your Home of Asthma Triggers: Your Children Will Breathe Easier
Describes five common indoor environmental triggers and ways to reduce exposure.
|
Join AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org 
to talk with other practitioners, access an extensive resource bank and watch archived webinars to help you develop a comprehensive home visit program.
|
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
National Asthma Education and Prevention Program: Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (July 2007 update)
The guidelines emphasize the importance of asthma control and introduce new approaches for monitoring asthma. Visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov |
Encourage the use of asthma action plans
A written asthma action plan encourages self-management of asthma. Plans include a list of the person's triggers and how to avoid them, instructions for taking asthma medicine, information on what to do during an asthma episode, instructions on when to call a doctor, and emergency telephone numbers. Action plans should be updated at least once a year.
- PDF Version (2 pp., 314 K)
- Versión de Español (PDF, 8 pp., 578 K)
Develop a comprehensive asthma home visit program
Use the following guide to begin or improve a home visit program for your asthma patients. Home-based multi-trigger, multi-component interventions with an environmental focus for children and adolescents with asthma are proven to be effective in improving overall quality of life and productivity.
 |
Asthma Home Environment Checklist
This checklist guides home care visitors in identifying environmental asthma triggers most commonly found in homes. It includes sections on the building, home interior and room interior and provides low-cost action steps for remediation.
|
Learn more through online courses
The following courses provide physician education to improve and expand the delivery of comprehensive asthma management programs and education to patients.
 |
Ozone and Your Patients' Health is a short, evidence-based training course designed for family practice doctors, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, asthma educators and other medical professionals who counsel patients about asthma and respiratory symptoms. Created by EPA. Visit www.epa.gov/air/oaqps/eog/ozonehealth |
| Case Studies in Environmental Medicine Environmental Triggers of Asthma
This course is to designed to increase the primary care provider's knowledge of hazardous substances in the environment and to promote the adoption of medical practices that aid in the evaluation and care of potentially exposed patients. The case studies provided in this tutorial focus on environmental triggers of asthma. Created by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Visit www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/asthma |
|
| AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org webinars
Asthma webinars present the latest knowledge and information from leading experts and asthma management program champions from across the country. Offered at no cost, webinars are an opportunity to discover state of the art tools and resources and learn effective strategies in asthma program design and delivery. Visit
www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org/webinars |