Advanced Practice Nurse Care of Asthma

“Asthma is a syndrome characterized by airflow obstruction that varies markedly, both spontaneously and with treatment” (Kasper, Fauci, Hauser, Longo, Jameson, & Loscalzo, 2015.p. 2102). According to World Health Organization (2014), asthma is a non-communicable disease otherwise known clinically as a chronic disease, and it requires both long and short-term treatment.Advanced Practice Nurse Care of Asthma

Effective treatment of asthma requires the setting of goals because asthma is a chronic condition, “the goal of management should be to obtain and sustain complete control” (Colledge, Walker & Ralston, 2010. p.665). Asthma that is well controlled should show none of the characteristics like daytime symptoms, nocturnal symptoms, limitation of activities, need for rescue/ reliever treatment (Colledge, Walker & Ralston, 2010).Advanced Practice Nurse Care of Asthma Long-term control of asthma helps reduce airway inflammation and prevent symptoms (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, n/d). Quick-relief treatment is a rapid response to asthma flare-ups usually with drugs that help relax the airway of smooth muscles, these drugs are called bronchodilators (Kasper et al., 2015). Administering treatment to a patient with asthma depends on the severity of the condition, a quick relief treatment is administered to a patient that has good control of his/her asthma. The quick-relief drugs are either in tablets or inhaled form, but the more common ones are the inhalers. Bronchodilators are used as rapid relief drugs because they can immediately reverse asthma symptoms by directly relaxing the smooth muscles, although they have no effect on the underlying inflammatory process (Kasper et al.,2015). There are three types of bronchodilators, beta two agonists, theophylline, and anticholinergics, of these three beta two agonists are the most effective (Kasper et al., 2015). The beta two agonists have short-acting like albuterol and long-acting like Formoterol, and they last for 6 and 12 hours respectively, both these drugs are administered via inhalation to reduce side effects (Kasper et al., 2015).