I think one of the most challenging things in health care is getting the patients to understand and use their treatments appropriately. The more involved the practitioner can be with their patient the better the outcome. I was looking on the Public Health web page for Wayne County and found that they have a program for children with asthma that offers those who meet certain criteria home nursing visits. Basically the criteria is that the child's asthma is not well controlled meaning that they are using their rescue inhaler too frequently, they are unable to participate in physical activities with other kids their age, missed school due to their asthma, or have gone to the emergency room and/or stayed in the hospital because of their asthma. The nurse will come to the house and educated the parents and the child on asthma and will be able to see the home environment and point out possible asthma triggers. The nurse will also help make sure the school understands the child's condition so they can receive their medications at school when needed. There are other benefits that come with the program too like the child will get a mattress and pillow. I think this is an awesome program. This program is not just going to increase the families knowledge on the condition but it is going to strengthen the communication and trust between the patient/patient's family and the caregiver. Asthma can be a very scary diagnosis for parents and kids to handle and difficult to fully understand how to control it. In rural areas, such as Wayne County, it can be even more difficult for all these patient's to see their provider frequently enough to ensure that they are controlling their asthma and using the medications properly. Hopefully this program will help to decrease the number of asthma exacerbations that limit the children and improve their quality of life.
http://www.co.wayne.ny.us/departments/publichlth/Asthma.html
