Asthma

ASTHMA POLICY and PROCEDURES

ASTHMA MANAGEMENT GOALS: SIGN OF ADEQUATE ASTHMA CONTROL: is a student's ability to participate in

1. Maintain normal activity any activity he or she chooses without experiencing asthma symptoms.

2. Maintain normal lung function

3. Prevent troublesome symptoms

4. Prevent recurrent episodes

5. Minimize medication side effects

Asthma Action Plan

Self-Administration of Prescription Asthma or Anaphylaxis Medication By Students

MEDICATION: PARENT/GUARDIAN REQUEST FORM

NO MEDICATION WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT THE PROPER PAPERWORK INCLUDED. IT HAS TO BE COMPLETED EACH SCHOOL YEAR. IT DOES NOT CARRY OVER.

If your child will require any asthma medication at school whether it is daily or just on an as needed basis- The Asthma Action Card will need to be completed by parent and physician and the Request for Medication Administration form will also need to be filled out by the parent and returned to the nurse. Click on the link at the bottom of this page for paperwork. The medication must be properly labeled. Older children should know how to administer their own inhaler. Please fill out a self administration medication form for your child so they may carry their own inhaler while at school. If your child requires a nebulizer treatment while at school, you will need to fill out the forms as indicated above and bring your child's tubing, mask, and prescription labeled medicine in a zip-lock bag. Do not send loose vials of nebulizer meds. They need to be in the proper container with your child's prescription label on it. Please have an extra set for use at home so that we are not sending bags of tubing and medication back and forth from school to home. The clinic has a nebulizer machine so you don't have to bring one.

People with asthma have what is called a chronic or long-lasting, problem with their airways. Everyday stuff, like animal dander or cigarette smoke, can trigger a flare-up. And a flare-up makes it hard to breathe because the airways can get swollen and clogged with mucus. The muscles around the airways can tighten up, too. Less air is able to get in and out of the lungs.

Fortunately, medicine can help. The two different types of medicines used to treat asthma are rescue medications and controller medications:

1. Rescue Medications

These immediately loosen the muscles around the airways, which opens up the airways and makes it easier to breathe. Rescue medications are usually inhaled directly into the lungs where they relieve wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath, often within minutes. The most common rescue medication is called a quick-acting bronchodilator. Examples: Ventolin, Proventil, Xopenex, and Albuterol.

2. Controller Medications

These decrease airway swelling and mucus, and work over a long period of time to help heal the airways and prevent asthma symptoms. They may be inhaled or taken as a pill or liquid. They're important because if taken regularly, they'll decrease the number of flare-ups you have. Examples: Pulmicort, Symbicort, Flovent, and Advair.

Different Medicines Have Different Benefits

Rescue medications are important during a flare-up because they help someone breathe more easily right away. That means anyone who has asthma and has been prescribed rescue medications should always have them along — at school, on the basketball court, at the mall, and even on vacation.

But the effect of rescue medications wears off quickly. And rescue medications don't do anything to help prevent a flare-up from happening in the first place. That's where controller medications come in. These medicines may not seem to be doing anything — someone with asthma might not feel anything at all when taking them. But that doesn't mean they aren't working to keep asthma flare-ups from happening.

In fact, as their name suggests, controller medications are important for controlling asthma on a regular basis. Talk with your doctor about how often you use your rescue medicines. If it's too much, your doctor might also prescribe controller medication for you.

Some people with mild asthma use only rescue medications; others with more severe

asthma have to take controller medications every day in addition to using rescue medications when they have symptoms.

If you have asthma, your doctor will decide what type of medication you need and how often you need to take it.