Asthma Education

This book comprehensively presents all the necessary information health professionals need to become Certified Asthma Educators. Competent asthma educators must possess a number of skills: they must have appropriate and sound medical and pharmaceutical knowledge; be proficient and effective educators who can influence their patients' behaviors for the better; and, finally, they need the administrative and organizational skills needed to set up and run efficient clinics at their places of work. The book is divided into three sections to meet those needs: Asthma: The Fundamentals; The Role of Education; and, The Effective Asthma Educator. The first section covers clinical knowledge of asthma, with chapters including lung structure and function, clinical presentation of asthma, and environmental issues in asthma management. The second section delves into the role of educating patients and teaches readers how to best do that with an integrated approach between physician, educator, and patient. The third section looks further into educating techniques with a view of the learning process, considerations for instruction locations, and the role the educator plays overall. The final chapter in the book presents example cases for readers to assess the knowledge they have learned throughout. This second edition serves as both textbook and study guide for certification as well as a long-term reference publication. It has been fully updated from the previous edition with the latest treatment guidelines, medications, and disease monitoring methods.