Management of Asthma

Resource Introduction

Asthma is a common condition presenting to primary care associated with reversible airflow obstruction and bronchial hyperreactivity. The typical symptoms include wheeze, cough, breathlessness and chest tightness. The majority of care delivered to asthmatics is in primary care, and it is therefore important that nurses running asthma clinics have appropriate training in asthma management and are able to deliver appropriately structured care as well as being able to recognise which patients need referring for specialist care.

These self assessment cases provide a good overview of the typical cases that you will encounter in clinical practice. Prepare yourself for the challenge of the questions with the reading list, and then complete the 10 questions successfully to achieve your certificate of one hour of CPD.

Aims and Objectives

On successful completion of this resource, you will gain a greater:

• Understanding of the basics of asthma diagnosis and its clinical features
• Knowledge of the management of asthma cases
• Knowledge of the various drugs available and treatment algorithms for asthma