Highlights of the New NAEPP EPR-3 Guidelines: Focus on Community Asthma Programs

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Highlights of the New NAEPP EPR-3 Guidelines:...

This March, join Dr. Wheeler and other community programs in a discussion on new opportunities and challenges presented to communities by the recently-released NAEPP EPR-3 Guidelines. Share your thoughts and get your questions answered.

Learn more about this discussion forum: http://www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org/discussions

Read more about the EPR-3 Guidelines: http://www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org/discussions/2008_EPR-3.pdf

Highlights of the New NAEPP EPR-3 Guidelines:...

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The Goal of Asthma Therapy is Asthma Control
EPR-3 takes a new approach to assessing and monitoring asthma by using multiple measures of the patient's level of current impairment (frequency and intensity of symptoms, low lung function, and limitations of daily activities) and future risk (risk of exacerbations, progressive loss of lung function, or adverse side effects from medications). The guidelines stress that some patients can still be at high risk for frequent exacerbations even if they have few day-to-day effects of asthma. Providers, patients and program evaluators need to learn the new approach to severity, control, impairment and risk. Now physicians must learn to select appropriate medical treatment based on additional aspects of control.

Monday, March 17, 2008 11:15 AM

In: RE: How has your program...

By clramos

Educating Patients - and Providers - Across the Continuum of Care
EPR-3 confirms the importance of teaching patients skills to self-monitor and manage asthma and to use a written asthma action plan, which should include instructions for daily treatment and ways to recognize and handle worsening asthma. Written action plans are particularly recommended for patients who have moderate or severe persistent asthma, a history of severe exacerbations, or poorly controlled asthma. New recommendations also encourage expanding educational opportunities to reach patients in a variety of settings, such as pharmacies, schools, community centers, and patients’ homes. A new section addresses the need for clinician education programs to improve communications with patients and to use system-wide approaches to integrate the guidelines into health care practice.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008 11:56 AM

In: RE: How has your community...

By clramos

Caring for Children and Youth
Caring for children and youth with asthma has additional challenges and opportunities. EPR-3 stresses the need for education for parents/family and the child/youth to teach and reinforce self-monitoring to assess level of asthma control and signs of worsening asthma, using a written asthma action plan, taking medication correctly, and avoiding environmental factors that worsen asthma. Education needs to be tailored to literacy level and cultural beliefs of parents/family and the child/youth. Effective asthma care teams for children and youth have clinical providers, families, children and youth and school nurses and other school team members all working from the same written asthma action plan. EPR-3 also clarifies actions for home and emergency/urgent care management of exacerbations and encourages development of pre-hospital protocols for emergency medical services.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008 5:42 AM

In: RE: Flu and Pneummococcal...

By laniwheeler

Multifaceted Environmental Controls
EPR-3 clarifies environmental control to include several strategies. Multifaceted approaches to reduce exposures include determining exposures, history of symptoms in presence of exposures, and sensitivities and advising patients on ways to reduce exposure to those allergens and pollutants, or irritants to which the patient is sensitive. Subcutaneous immunotherapy is to be considered for patients who have persistent asthma and when there is a clear relationship between symptoms and exposure to an allergen to which the patient is sensitive. Recognition and treatment of co-morbid conditions may improve asthma control.

Monday, March 24, 2008 4:30 AM

In: How has your community asthma...

By epa_admin