Asthma Monitoring
This module provides an overview of asthma monitoring in patients, including:
- methods and tools for asthma monitoring,
- patient self-management,
- inhaler technique, and
- the role of asthma control questionnaires
No advice given in this module is intended to be a substitute for your own professional judgment in the clinical management of your patients.
The simplest form of asthma monitoring is the recognition of key symptoms and the need for reliever inhalers. How many prescribed short-acting beta agonist (SABA) inhalers in the previous 12 months would mean a patient requires an urgent review?
Correct!
More than 12. That’s right. A patient prescribed more than 12 SABA inhalers in the previous 12 months should be invited for urgent review as this could indicate poorly controlled asthma.
Incorrect
Not quite. More than 12 SABA inhalers prescribed in the previous 12 months would mean a patient requires an urgent review.
Large variations in peak flow can indicate poorly controlled asthma. True or false.
Correct!
True. That’s right. An important part of peak flow measurement is noting peak flow zones which are areas of measurement on a peak flow meter. The goal of the peak flow zones is to show early symptoms of uncontrolled asthma. Peak flow zones are set differently for each person.
Incorrect
Almost. If there are large variations in peak flow, this could indicate poorly controlled asthma.
Which of these strategies are used to improve supported self-management?
Correct!
All of these. All of these strategies have been used in effective interventions in improving self-management.
Incorrect
Nearly. All of these strategies have been used in effective interventions in improving self-management.
The Asthma Control Test (ACT), Childhood ACT (C-ACT), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) and the Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) are all well validated in adults and children aged 5 years and older. True or false.
Correct!
False. That’s right. Only the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is well validated in adults and children aged 5 years and over.
Incorrect
Almost! Only the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is well validated in adults and children aged 5 years and over. The Childhood ACT (C-ACT) is valid for 4–11-year-olds, the Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) has been validated for the age range 7–17 years.
Fill in the blanks. "An ideal ______ should tell you something that ____ or other simple tests do not."
Correct!
biomarker, symptoms. That’s right. An ideal biomarker should tell you something that symptoms or other simple tests do not.
Incorrect
Not quite. It would be an ideal biomarker that should tell you something that symptoms or other simple tests do not.