BOOK
REVIEW: by Peter B. Boggs, M.D.
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Praise
for the fourth edition of One Minute Asthma appeared
in the February 2001 issue of the Annals of Allergy,
Asthma & Immunology, a leading medical
journal for doctors and health professionals:
"...it
provides patients quick access to the essence
of the most important aspects of asthma care."
This
is the Fourth Edition of this little book that
had its beginning in 1991. The author wrote this
book "to give asthma patients the basic facts
they need to know about asthma" in an accurate,
clear, concise, and easy to read format. The book
does exactly that. Intended to complement the
basic education provided by physicians, it provides
patients quick access to the essence of the most
important aspects of asthma care. It spans the
scope of asthma care: the basics, asthma medications,
home monitoring and treatment plan, devices important
to people with asthma, and additional resources
about asthma. Each topic is covered on one page
and each page requires about one minute to read,
hence the title. Although published by Pedipress,
this book is intended for anyone with asthma or
responsible for the care of someone with asthma.
Additional
topics covered in this edition not covered in
the edition that I own (Second Edition) include:
Sinus Trouble, Inflammation of the Nose, Long-acting
Adrenaline-like Medicines, Leukotriene Modifier
Medicines, Ipratropium, Dry Powdered Inhalers,
& Medicines that May Make Asthma Worse. Dr.
Plaut has expanded the summaries of peak expiratory
flow rate meter use and home monitoring of peak
expiratory flow rate as well as the discussion
of holding chambers. He presents brief comments
on a range of topics including Antihistamines,
Cough medicines, Which Inhaler To Use First, Is
Your Inhaler Empty? and How to Choose An Asthma
Doctor.
Dr.
Plaut is a pediatrician who has devoted the majority
of his practice life to the care and education
of patients with asthma. He is the author of Children
with Asthma: A Manual for Parents, Asthma Charts
& Forms for the Physician's Office. He is
on the editorial board of Advance for Managers
of Respiratory Care and is the medical consultant
to Asthma Update, a newsletter for patients and
professionals. Dr. Plaut is in private practice
in Amherst, MA.
Peter
B. Boggs, M.D.
Medical Director and Senior Fellow
The Asthma 2000 Group
Shreveport, Louisiana
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How
to Give a Talk Based on One Minute Asthma
Thomas F. Plaut, M.D.
I
have presented my thoughts on asthma and how to
control it to hundreds of audiences of health
professionals and patients over the years. Since
1995 I have used One Minute Asthma as the outline
for my talks, varying the topics covered to suit
the audience. Many other professionals have adopted
this method. The illustrations in the book eliminate
the need for slides. A brief pre and post test
and evaluation are appended.
Goal:
Each participant will gain knowledge that will
help them guide their patients or themselves to
better control asthma.
Method:
Leader distributes a copy of One Minute Asthma
to each participant and covers the topics listed
below. Participants take questionnaire before
and after the talk. During the talk they take
notes in their personal copy of One Minute Asthma.
Essential
topics:
·
You Can Control Asthma
· What Happens in the Airways
· Peak Flow Zones
· Asthma Medicines
· Using the Asthma Diary
· Using the Asthma Action Plan
Leader
answers one or two questions on each topic before
moving on to the next. After covering the essential
topics, they offer to discuss any other issue
covered in the booklet. If time remains, they
deal with other questions.
Sample Evaluation of Asthma Talk based on One
Minute Asthma:
Questions
to be answered before and after talk:
Once
your asthma is under control you will be able
to run as long and as hard as you want. yes/no
During an asthma episode the lining of your airways
is swollen due to inflammation. yes/no
Your peak flow measures how fast you can blow
air out of your lungs. Your score will tell you
whether you have a mild, moderate or severe problem.
yes/no
Name the two main types of asthma medicines.
What type is used daily to prevent episodes?
What type is used to treat episodes?
When you record your peak flow on a good diary
you can see the effect of changing your medicine
dose or encountering a trigger. yes/no
When your peak flow is in the high yellow zone
you should:
a. reduce triggers
b. change your treatment
c. reduce triggers and change your treatment
One week after talk:
Was
anything in the talk or materials of practical
use to you? yes/no
If yes, please list:
Did you learn that you can control asthma better
than you thought you would be able to? yes/no
Did you improve the way you are able to communicate
with your doctor or nurse? yes/no
Did you improve the way you take your inhaled
medicines? yes/no
Did you improve the way you keep a diary? yes/no
Did you ask your doctor for an action plan? yes/no
Did you read any part of One Minute Asthma since
the talk? yes/no
Will you refer to One Minute Asthma in the future.
yes/no
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