New Asthma Action Plan Available for EMR

The Maine CDC Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Program has two new Asthma Action Plans available on its website – a pediatric and an adult plan. These plans were developed as a collaborative effort by clinical staff (primary and specialty care) at MaineHealth and incorporates feedback from the Maine Asthma Coalition, the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Maine Association of School Nurses. 

The plans comply with Meaningful Use reporting requirements and Maine’s statute “An Act To Authorize Certain School Children To Carry Emergency Medication On Their Persons.” School nurses utilize Asthma Action Plans as an important tool to help their students with asthma.  A uniform plan will improve ease of use for providers, parents and school nurses.  

The plans are available by clicking here. They can be scanned or imported into the electronic medical record or printed.

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute states that a written Asthma Action Plan is one of the most effective methods to help patients manage their disease. Utilizing one form across practices and hospitals to treat people with asthma will improve coordination and quality of care.

The Maine CDC Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Program continues to provide paper copies of the Maine Asthma Coalition’s pediatric Asthma Action Plan. 

Asthma

May is asthma awareness month.  Asthma is one of the most common lifelong chronic diseases. Asthma affects the lungs, causing repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing. There are 146,000 Mainers who currently have asthma and in severe cases, asthma can be deadly.

In Maine, almost 50 percent of adults and 30 percent of children with asthma report their asthma is not well or very poorly controlled. Although asthma cannot be cured, it is possible to manage the disease successfully. Regular medical monitoring, two visits per year with the treating physician, taking asthma medicine as prescribed and avoiding things that may trigger an attack are all successful management strategies.

Common asthma “triggers” include tobacco and wood smoke, household pets, dust mites and pollen. Limit or avoid exposure to these and other triggers whenever possible.  Many physicians recommend patients with asthma get a seasonal flu shot every year.

For more information about asthma, please visit Maine CDC's Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Program - Asthma Unit’s webpage at: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/population-health/mat/

May is Asthma Awareness Month

Maine continues to have some of the highest asthma rates in the nation. Emergency departments deal with almost 8,500 visits a year for asthma, and there are more than 1,100 hospitalizations annually. These visits can be avoided, and while asthma cannot be cured, it can be managed. Proper medication, avoiding triggers, and seeing a medical provider on a routine basis, are simple steps that anyone can take to avoid costly visits to the ER or hospital.

Here at the Maine CDC, the Asthma Prevention and Control Program works to raise awareness about the dangers and costs associated with asthma, and also to provide resources that can help Maine people manage their condition and live happy and productive lives.

For more information on asthma and the Maine CDC Asthma Prevention and Control Program click here.

Prevent adult-onset occupational asthma

Isocyanates (eye-so-sigh-a-nates) are chemicals that can cause asthma and cancer, irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat, and even cause death.  It is important for medical providers to know the health risks associated with isocyanates and be aware that patients who work in certain industries are in danger of being exposed.  The risks are so well documented that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced an emphasis program to protect workers from exposure to isocyanates.

  

Patients potentially exposed to isocyanates may have:

• Persistent or recurring eye irritation
• Nasal congestion
• Dry or sore throat
• Cold-like symptoms
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Chest-tightness

Direct skin contact can cause:

• Sensitization
• Inflammation
• Rash
• Itching
• Hives
• Swelling

Isocyanates are found in the following compounds:

• Paints
• Varnishes
• Foams
• Sealants

They are used in the following industries:

• Residential/commercial construction to coat cement, wood, fiberglass, steel and aluminum
• Automotive painting and spray on bed-liners
• Commercial manufacturing of ridged and flexible foams
• Boatbuilding coatings to protect boats

  

When dealing with a patient, medical providers should consider that patient's occupation and work environment. Isocyanates are powerful irritants to the eyes, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tracts. Isocyanates can sensitize a patient through skin contact which means a patient could be subject to a severe asthma attack if they come into contact again (death from severe asthma in some sensitized subjects has been reported).  Isocyanates cannot easily be washed off skin or clothing because they are not water soluble.  OSHA is hoping that by focusing on this problem it will raise physician awareness of the risk, reduce employee exposure, and lessen the overall negative health effects associated with isocyanates. 

  

For more on the National Emphasis Program, visit: http://go.usa.gov/Zp7h (See appendix C for a patient questionnaire.)

 

Asthma can be controlled - Tips offered during asthma awareness month

Originally posted at http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=DHS+Press+Releases&id=526262&v=article


AUGUSTA – Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the lungs, leading to breathing problems including coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and trouble sleeping. In most cases, the cause is unknown and there is no known cure.

In Maine, more than 22,000 children and over 100,000 adults currently have asthma, which places Maine in the top 10 states when comparing adult asthma rates. In 2009,there were 14 deaths, 1,169 hospitalizations and 8,482 emergency department visits due to asthma, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Data, Research and Vital Statistics.

Asthma attacks occur when something bothers the lungs and causes sudden breathing problems. These are known as ‘asthma triggers’ and some of the more common ones are tobacco smoke, outdoor air pollution, mold, cleaning agents, dust mites and strong smells from perfumes and colognes.
Asthma can be controlled and treated. National guidelines include using medication as prescribed – not just when experiencing symptoms; knowing how to avoid asthma triggers; working with a physician or healthcare provider to design a written asthma action plan; making two visits to a physician each year for routine asthma care; and getting an annual flu shot.

An asthma action plan gives instructions on what medicine to use and how often, as wells as what to do if symptoms get worse. The plan is especially important for children to have a plan available at home and at school. School nurses, coaches and school administrators rely on the asthma action plan when a student has an asthma attack. Following these treatment guidelines will help avoid unnecessary and costly emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and missed work or school days.

There is evidence that adults with asthma are more susceptible to invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), which includes pneumonia, meningitis and other diseases. Vaccines for children and adults are available which are effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death from IPD. Ask your health care provider for information about these vaccines.

The Maine CDC Asthma Prevention and Control Program has asthma action plan forms and other information available at their web site: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/population-health/mat/index.htm

Asthma

 May is Asthma Awareness Month. As of 2010, about 10% of Maine adults had asthma – Maine continues to have some of the highest adult asthma rates in the country. Half of Maine adults with asthma report that their asthma is not well or very poorly controlled. Almost 27% of Maine adults with asthma report being unable to work or carry out usual activities for one or more days in the past year because of their asthma.

As of 2010, about 8.5% of Maine children had asthma; 29% of these children have asthma that is not well or very poorly controlled. More than one-third (39%) of Maine school-aged children with asthma missed one or more days of school in the past year because of their asthma.

With proper self-management, including regular doctor’s visits, proper medication use, and physical activity, combined with avoiding triggers, people with asthma can live a healthy, productive life with little to no disruption due to asthma. Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be managed.

Visit Maine CDC’s Asthma Prevention and Control Program at http://go.usa.gov/V4d

For more information, visit  http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/Asthma/

Statement by US Health and Human Services’ Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Asthma Awareness Month: http://go.usa.gov/V4U

May Awareness Campaigns

May is a busy month for awareness campaigns. It’s National Arthritis Awareness Month, Asthma Awareness Month, Healthy Vision Month, and Hepatitis Awareness Month.

Drinking Water Week is May 1-7. Followed by Women’s Health Week, which starts on Mother’s Day (May 8).

As the weather warms up and people spend more time outside, we also run into Lyme Disease Awareness Month and Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Heat Safety Awareness Day is May 27 and Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week is May 23-29.

May is also both High Blood Pressure Education Month and Stroke Awareness Month.