THE
IMPORTANT ROLE OF NURSING IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
Li ZY, LUO YQ, CHEN YZ
Capital Institute of
Pediatrics, Beijing, China
Objective: The nurses'
work in the prevention, treatment and education of childhood asthma in an
asthma specialized clinic has gained great efficacy in enhancing the
compliance of the asthmatic patients and in turn satisfactory treatment and
effective control of childhood asthma.
Methods: The nurses
were responsible for conveying asthma knowledge to the patients and their
parents through bulletin board propagation, videos. And they distributed
educational materials to them. The ��Handbook for Asthma Patients�� was
compiled by both doctors and nurses of the clinic center in an easy-to-read
style while they were waiting in the clinical lounge, and assisting the
doctors to conduct all kinds of lectures and contest activities on asthma
knowledge.
Results: By doing
these, more than 90% of the patients and their parents have acquired a
relatively comprehensive and correct understanding of the disease. And they
got to know how to use inhaler properly, and conduct self-monitoring the
PEF meter, evaluate the severity of the disease, and take emergency measure
in case of having an unexpected asthma exacerbation.
Conclusion: The results
showed that asthma education and management play an important role in the
prevention and therapy of asthma. By participating in these activities, the
nurses were able to complete their work at a higher level and established a
good team between the clinical staffs and the patients. The patients were
more compliant in treatment and the episodes of asthma were reduced. Most
of the patients were well controlled for a longer time and could live a
high quality of life.