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What we do

Asthma is a chronic disease that can be controlled and managed at home. Asthma education is based on self-management with the goal to improve quality of life. Increased activity level, decreased absence from school and improved sleep by decreased night time symptoms are all positive outcomes of good asthma management. Education can also help to decrease the number of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and unscheduled doctors’ visits. Our aim is to give families and children information, resources, and ongoing support to manage their child’s asthma at home.

A team can consist of an asthma educator, the family, the child and the primary care physician.  The role of the team is to help a family understand more about how to manage and control their child’s asthma.  Each team member's roles and responsibilities are outlined below:

  • A Certified Asthma Educator’s role is to create an environment that enables learning and empowers families and children to make positive changes in asthma management. We also provide ongoing support and encouragement to maintain good asthma control.
  • A family and child’s role is to communicate information about respiratory symptoms that will help with the diagnosis and treatment plan to control your child’s asthma. Also, with educational support, your role will be to recognize when your child’s asthma is not well controlled, to initiate an asthma action plan and to seek appropriate medical help when symptoms do not improve.
  • A primary care physician or specialist’s role is to establish a diagnosis of asthma and develop an appropriate medical treatment plan for the prevention and control of symptoms, so that your child can lead an active life.

Each team member is important and has valuable information to share.

Why and how referrals are made


Referrals to the clinic are made by health care professionals, for children who have been seen at BC Children’s Hospital.  The child must have a diagnosis of asthma and is between the ages of 18 months and 16 years.  The medical team and family must be aware of the referral.

 

What to expect at the initial visit

  • Collecting a detailed asthma history
  • Providing the definition of asthma
  • Identifying environmental triggers and how to control them
  • Identifying early warning signs of an asthma attack
  • Describing what happens in the lungs during an asthma attack
  • Explaining what to do during an asthma attack
  • Describing asthma medications and how they work
  • Demonstrating the use of asthma medication devices
  • Guidelines on when and where to seek help during an asthma attack
  • Describing and demonstrating the use of a peak flow meter
  • Explaining how to record symptoms, peak flow and medications on an asthma diary

What to expect at a follow-up visit

  1. Addressing items not discussed during the initial visit.
  2. Reviewing issues discussed at the initial visit:
  • asthma medications
  • asthma medication devices and return demonstration
  • environmental trigger control issues
  • Reviewing the completed asthma diary
  • Describing what good asthma control is.
  • Describing what an asthma action plan is. A written asthma action plan will be developed with the information given to the asthma educator by the family and the physician.

A copy of the written report of the initial and the follow-up visits will be completed and sent to the child’s physician and any specialist involved with your child’s asthma care. It will include a written asthma action plan to be reviewed and initiated by your physician. The original copy of the report will be filed in your child’s health care record at BC Children’s Hospital.