Asthma: Diagnosis and Management
Course #90484 - $60 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Asthma is one of the most common respiratory conditions affecting children, adolescents, and adults, and the number of individuals affected continues to grow each year. Diagnosis may be complex, especially in certain populations, but it is a vital key to providing the effective treatment and management of the disorder. This course reviews the signs and symptoms, pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment and management, and prevention strategies associated with asthma, allowing healthcare professionals to provide optimal care for the patient with asthma.
This course is designed for nurses, physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians who may care for patients with asthma.
Asthma is increasingly common, and most healthcare professionals will encounter patients with the condition. The purpose of this course is to provide nurses and pharmacy professionals with up-to-date, accurate information regarding the diagnosis and management of asthma and long-term outcomes for those with the condition.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Summarize the history of asthma, including current definitions.
- Describe the impact of asthma both globally and nationally.
- Identify risk factors that contribute to the development of asthma.
- Define the pathophysiology of asthma.
- Discuss the pathogenesis of an asthma attack in its five phases.
- Discuss the process of diagnosing asthma, including differential diagnosis and available tests.
- Outline the appropriate treatment and management of asthma, the medications used, and the application of the various guidelines.
- Discuss specific population considerations.
- Explain the importance of patient education when discussing prevention and management of asthma.
- Identify triggers of asthma attacks.
Sharon M. Griffin, RN, PhD, specializes in Health Education and Chronic Disease Management especially as it relates to her primary areas of study and research. She has more than 30 years of healthcare experience nationwide and is an accomplished author, presenter and consultant. She frequently lectures on the subjects of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related disorders. Dr. Griffin is the cofounder of the University Center for Assessment and Learning (UCAL) of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She enjoys writing and teaching and has been listed in Who’s Who in American Nursing, Two Thousand Notable American Women, and the eleventh edition of the World Who’s Who of Women, Cambridge, England.
Patricia Walters-Fischer, RN, BS, has worked in the healthcare field since 1992. Starting out as a nurse’s aide, she worked her way from LVN to ASN while working in several hospital units, including ICU/CCU and adult and pediatric trauma. During her career, she worked at the busiest pediatric emergency center in the country, Children’s Medical Center of Dallas Emergency Room. While there, she cared for and educated asthmatic children and their caregivers. Ms. Walters-Fischer is also an honors graduate of Washington University, St. Louis, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Journalism and has been writing for the past ten years in local, national, and international publications.
Contributing faculty, Sharon M. Griffin, RN, PhD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Contributing faculty, Patricia Walters-Fischer, RN, BS, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
John M. Leonard, MD
Mary Franks, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Randall L. Allen, PharmD
The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.