()

Asthma Action Plan

An Asthma Action Plan is created by your doctor to help asthmatic patients like you to control your asthma effectively.  Each plan may differ from patient to patient depending on the severity and condition of the disease.  The plan may get reviewed and modified from time to time depending on how well the asthma is controlled.

The plan should describe how and when to take your daily medications and also what to do during an asthmatic attack.  If it’s your child who has asthma, all his/her caregivers such as teachers or sports coaches should be informed of the diagnosis.

You also need taking an active role to control your asthma.  This involves:

  • Avoiding things that worsen your asthma (asthma triggers)
  • Be aware of your environment such as air pollution (wear a mask or avoid going out) or weather changes (wear appropriate clothing)
  • Understand your medication and never skip them.  Always have access to quick-relief medication (especially when travelling)
  • Learn to recognise the early symptoms of an asthma attack and take appropriate action
  • Self-monitor to track your asthma using a peak flow meter on a regular basis and share the records with your doctor during the clinic follow-up.  You should also record your symptoms to discuss with your doctor at the next visit

What is in the plan?

Each Asthma Action Plan should give you the following information”

  • The name of the medicines and how & when to take them
  • How much medication to take in different circumstances
  • When to take rescue medication
  • How to use and chart your peak flow reading
  • How to recognise signs if your asthma is getting worse
  • What to do during an asthma attack
Watch the video ‘How does Asthma work’

Asthma medication is divided into either

  • PREVENTER inhaler (to reduce airway inflammation)
  • RELIEVER inhaler (to open up the airways in the lung)

Simple Guide on How to Use Asthma Medication

This guide shows how asthma medication may be used in different situations and in different individuals.  Do consult your doctor about your own situation.

Situation 1: When your child is well

  • Has good breathing
  • Has no cough
  • Has no wheezing
  • Can play and do daily activities without any restriction
  • Peak flow reading is more than 80% of personal best

ACTION PLAN: Give Preventer Medicine as prescribed by the doctor.

Situation 2: When your child is not well (with these symptoms)

  • Cough & Wheeze
  • Chest tightness
  • Waking up at night due to coughing
  • Peak flow reading is reduced to 50-80% of personal best

ACTION PLAN: Continue giving Preventer Medicine as prescribed by the doctor.  Take Reliever Medication once and then as when required. Your child may need up to 4 hourly medication depending on whether there is an improvement.  If symptoms improve, return to Situation 1.

Situation 3: When your child gets worse

  • The cough and wheeze getting worse despite treatment
  • Difficulty in breathing with flaring around the nostrils
  • The reliever medications needed more frequently than every 4 hours
  • Peak flow reading is less than 50% of personal best

ACTION PLAN: Continue giving preventer medicine as prescribed by the doctor.  Take Reliever Medication every 4 hours and an oral dose of Prednisolone as prescribed by the doctor. See your doctor as soon as possible.

Situation 4: What to do during an emergency

Give 4-6 puffs of reliever medication immediately and every 20 minutes up to a maximum dose of 12 puffs.  Go IMMEDIATELY to the Emergency Department of the Nearest Hospital.

Find and Book your nearest health professional below for Free!

No Listing Found!

TeleMe was built to provide the community with convenient & efficient ONLINE & OFFLINE access to healthcare.

Disclaimer. TELEME blog posts contain general information about health conditions and treatments. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information is not advice and should not be treated as such. 

If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Share it on social media!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?