Begin Main Content Area

Asthma

Asthma, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is a chronic lung disease that inflames the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.

American Lung Association Asthma Basics
The American Lung Association's Asthma Basics course is a free one-hour interactive online learning module designed to help people learn more about asthma. The course includes comprehensive resources: asthma medication devices, demonstration videos and downloads.

Asthma Action Plans

According to the latest Scope and Standards of Practice from the National Association of School Nurses and American Nurses Association, development of plans of care are a standard of nursing practice. Below are template plans which schools may adapt:

Is the Asthma Action Plan Working?
This guideline will help parents and nurses to assess whether a student's asthma action plan is appropriate.

Use of Asthma Inhalers in Schools (Act 187 of 2004)
In order to ensure that a student has immediate availability to their asthma medication, the Pennsylvania legislature amended the Public School Code, Section 1414.1 (see excerpt below) requiring schools to develop policies that allow students to carry and self-administer their asthma medication, under certain conditions.

Pennsylvania School Code, Section 1414.1 Possession and Use of Asthma Inhalers and Epinephrine Auto-injectors
This section of the law was updated in 2010 to include epinephrine auto-injectors.

Asthma Medication Assistance Programs
The Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin has compiled a list of coupon offers and prescription assistance programs for the most commonly prescribed asthma medications.

Asthma Statistics