The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 17 million Americans have asthma. If you’re one of them, you may be wondering what comes next after an asthma diagnosis. In the best case scenario, you and your health care provider will form a partnership in order to design and execute an asthma management plan — the tool you need to lead a normal, active life.

Few conditions benefit more from a genuine partnership between patient and doctor. You may be unaccustomed to playing such an active role in managing your own health. Some health care providers aren’t used to active patient involvement, either. But that’s changing. Today, the National Institutes of Health encourages doctors to form an active partnership with their asthma patients.

An active partnership means working hand-in-hand. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute defines your role in an active partnership, and the National Asthma Education and Prevention Project outlines your health care provider’s role. Understanding what you should do and what you may expect from your doctor will help you achieve the partnership you need for successful asthma management.

You should:

• Ask questions. Let your health care provider know if instructions aren’t clear — you’re learning a new language, after all. Write questions down between appointments, bringing them with you to your next appointment.
• Be forthcoming. When discussing your symptoms and how and when you use medication, always be honest. Don’t worry about being judged. The important thing is to give your health care provider the best, most complete information possible.
• Tell your health care provider what you expect from every visit. Perhaps you need a specific question answered, or maybe you’re concerned about side effects. Whatever the reason for the visit, share it with your doctor in a direct manner.
• Follow directions. Write them down. Repeat them back to your doctor. Speak up if you don’t think you can do what is asked. And take your medicine as directed.

Your health care provider should:

• Ask you questions to make sure you understand instructions. He or she should also ask whether treatment goals are being met and whether you feel better overall.
• Give you information. He or she should teach you the skills needed for self-care, offering you resources about asthma basics, self-monitoring, and environmental control. You should also receive detailed instructions about medication, including dosages and possible side effects.
• Listen to you. When necessary, he or she should review, adjust, and individualize your asthma management plan.
• Provide self-management plans, including an asthma management plan (the information you need to control and prevent asthma episodes) and an asthma action plan (the information you need to get through an episode safely).

This entry was posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 10:52 am and is filed under Adult Asthma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.