Education

What is the role of education in asthma management?

The best way to manage asthma is to actively participate in your own treatment. This is mainly because asthmatic symptoms are not always constant.

They may either get worse or improve. Because of this variable nature, you cannot be on the same medicine or dose all the time.

It is often necessary to review and change the treatment. In order to ensure that this review and change of treatment is done properly you need to:

• Understand the nature of the disease including asthma triggers that provoke your symptoms. .
• Know about asthma medicines and their side effects.
• Be aware of correct techniques for using and maintaining devices used for administering asthma medication.
• Set goals for asthma treatment - it is desirable that the goals of your treatment be decided upon jointly by you and your doctor.
• Be aware of symptoms that indicate that asthma is worsening, so that you can seek professional help at the earliest.
• Environmental factors to be controlled for prevention of asthma. It is important that the control of environmental factors be started along with the taking of appropriate medicine.