Written plans effective for asthma control

MONTREAL, March 26 (UPI) -- Researchers in Canada say two written action plans -- one for after seeing the doctor and one for after hospital treatment -- control asthma in children.

Dr. Francine Ducharme of the University of Montreal's Department of Pediatrics and the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre says having asthma patients adhere to their drug regimes is a major challenge for doctors -- 65 percent of children do not use their medication effectively.

"This research shows that, even in the emergency department setting where little time is available to provide education, the provision of a written action plan significantly improved patient adherence to prescribed inhaled and oral drugs and to physicians' recommendations," Ducharme says in a statement.

The asthma plans include a structured template for the management of short-term, long-term and non-drug treatment of the asthma; key health messages and a self-assessment asthma control tool. The plans have a triplicate form format that gives a copy to the patient, the pharmacist and the doctor.

"The idea is to facilitate the provision of the plan by the physician and to encourage the pharmacist in reinforcing the plan -- we're bringing the prescribing doctor, the pharmacist and the patient closer together," Ducharme says.

One asthma plan is specifically designed to record discharge instructions after a visit for an acute asthma flare-up and the other is for recording instructions during a regular office visit for asthma, Ducharme says.

The findings were published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.