Asthma education

[Perrotfish]

Is there a good book to give parents of children diagnosed with asthma? Something like the pink panther book for diabetes? I've noticed a big education gap between the diabetes and asthma patients at my hospital, and I'm wondering if there is something else we could bedoing for the asthma crowd.

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[Stitch]

Is there a good book to give parents of children diagnosed with asthma? Something like the pink panther book for diabetes? I've noticed a big education gap between the diabetes and asthma patients at my hospital, and I'm wondering if there is something else we could bedoing for the asthma crowd.

There's nothing specific that I know of. Honestly, if you figured out how to educate families and improve compliance, you'd win a prize. Unfortunately frequent fliers are all too common for asthma and diabetes despite a TON of effort from the educators in endocrine and pulmonology.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

Is there a good book to give parents of children diagnosed with asthma? Something like the pink panther book for diabetes?

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Way-Stop-Smoking-Non-Smokers/dp/1402718616

 

[McGillGrad]

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Way-Stop-Smoking-Non-Smokers/dp/1402718616

 

[McGillGrad]

On a serious note...let's be honest, most parents are not going to read the materials.

 

[Perrotfish]

On a serious note...let's be honest, most parents are not going to read the materials.

I guess I've just been impressed at how much more the diabetic patients (and their parents) I see understand their condition and treatment vs. patients with other chronic conditions like asthma, CF, or even pediatric cancers. I certainly see non-compliant teenage diabetics, but they can almost all tell me what insulin they're supposed to take, when they need to check ketones, and even why they're supposed to do it. On the other hand when I see asthmatics the parentss can't tell me what any of the five meds thake does, what the meds are called, or when they're supposed to take them.

Does anyone else see this? If so, why do you think it is? Is it the dedicated diabetes educators? The full day of inpatient training in management new diabetic get? The pink panther book? Any ideas for how to replicate these results (if they exist) in the asthmatic population?

 

[McGillGrad]

I guess I've just been impressed at how much more the diabetic patients (and their parents) I see understand their condition and treatment vs. patients with other chronic conditions like asthma, CF, or even pediatric cancers. I certainly see non-compliant teenage diabetics, but they can almost all tell me what insulin they're supposed to take, when they need to check ketones, and even why they're supposed to do it. On the other hand when I see asthmatics the parentss can't tell me what any of the five meds thake does, what the meds are called, or when they're supposed to take them.

Does anyone else see this? If so, why do you think it is? Is it the dedicated diabetes educators? The full day of inpatient training in management new diabetic get? The pink panther book? Any ideas for how to replicate these results (if they exist) in the asthmatic population?

You covered the most likely reason: the army of non-physician educators for diabetes. There is so much money to be made with the insulin pens, the insulin pumps, the meters and other supplies that the money is there for education.

With asthma, your main educator is an overworked general pediatrician who has limited time to explain every detail to the parents. You would need to find the resources to pay asthma educators to teach patients and parents about the treatments. I would suggest having the drug companies provide those services, just like they indirectly do for diabetes management.