THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF NURSING IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA

Li ZY, LUO YQ, CHEN YZ

Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China

 

Objective: The nurses' work in the prevention, treatment and education of childhood asthma in an asthma specialized clinic has gained great efficacy in enhancing the compliance of the asthmatic patients and in turn satisfactory treatment and effective control of childhood asthma.

Methods: The nurses were responsible for conveying asthma knowledge to the patients and their parents through bulletin board propagation, videos. And they distributed educational materials to them. The ¡°Handbook for Asthma Patients¡± was compiled by both doctors and nurses of the clinic center in an easy-to-read style while they were waiting in the clinical lounge, and assisting the doctors to conduct all kinds of lectures and contest activities on asthma knowledge.

Results: By doing these, more than 90% of the patients and their parents have acquired a relatively comprehensive and correct understanding of the disease. And they got to know how to use inhaler properly, and conduct self-monitoring the PEF meter, evaluate the severity of the disease, and take emergency measure in case of having an unexpected asthma exacerbation.

Conclusion: The results showed that asthma education and management play an important role in the prevention and therapy of asthma. By participating in these activities, the nurses were able to complete their work at a higher level and established a good team between the clinical staffs and the patients. The patients were more compliant in treatment and the episodes of asthma were reduced. Most of the patients were well controlled for a longer time and could live a high quality of life.

 
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