Nursing: The Development of an Asthma Intervention Program for the Nursing Home Resident

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The Development of an Asthma Intervention Program for the Nursing Home Resident

Background and Context

            The effort put forth to control asthma is an outstanding illustration of the communal effect on health, which can be attained through public health and the combined strengths of health care. Asthma is a widespread disease across the world that has become a concern in public health rather than a medical condition. By controlling environmental irritants and allergens, it will be easy to control asthma. Even though this chronic disease is a major cause of disability in most patients and at times leads to an untimely death, it has an intense effect on all parts of a patient's life. The worldwide occurrence of asthma is projected to be about 4 percent (Warsi, 1642). Even though a rising number of elderly people are suffering from co-occurring illnesses, most of the health issues connected to multi-morbidity can be improved through self-management.

Statement of the problem

Asthma in nursing home residents is less diagnosed and less treated, and there is a lack of knowledge concerning asthma management and its effects. Over the past few years, there has been a substantial rise in morbidity and mortality rates despite all developments in disease management (Warsi, 1648). Even though the disease cannot be cured, there is a possibility of reducing the symptoms and preventing it from frequently occurring. Moreover, both the patient and the nurse play a vital role in the mismanagement and undertreatment of chronic disease. This is to say that, unless the patient possesses rudimentary knowledge and skills about the illness and its management, the possibility of making the best use of the facilities available is very minimal. Additionally, the nurses' role is to prevent or reduce the severity of the ailment by concentrating on the approaches for the deterrence and control of asthma to reduce mortality and morbidity. To make a difference in nursing homes, the study will gather enough information that effectively answer this research question: What are the best intervention programs for the prevention of asthma among nursing home residents?

Objectives

The main objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of asthma intervention programs on nurses' knowledge and skills of patients diagnosed with asthma. The development of the asthma intervention program in nursing home residents helps them acquire and maintain control of the medical manifestation of asthma for a longer period of time. By developing measures that can effectively control asthma, symptoms, and attacks on patients can be reduced and help them maintain physical fitness. To attain this objective, the program enables asthmatic patients to properly take medication to evade risk factors and recognize the variance between medications that relieve and control. They should also be able to recognize when the disease is worsening and seek immediate medical help. The program also outlines the common strategies to be followed by patients to improve control of asthma and reduce their medication needs. Such strategies include staying away from tobacco smoke, exercising more, and avoiding foods and additives.

The paucity of skills and knowledge in asthma management and no adherence to treatment in the elderly is the main reason for uncontrolled asthma.

Other reasons for uncontrolled asthma include the failure to prevent severe attacks, scarce information about the preclusion of contact with asthma triggers, and ineffectual use of inhalers. Therefore, asthma education through the program is an important element in disease control and self-management in nursing home residents. This is because it makes the management of the disease comprehensive and cost-effective. Hence, there's a serious need for the development of an asthma intervention program to offer and increase basic knowledge and skills to nurses for the care of patients with asthma.

Assumptions of the study

The study hypotheses were that nurses engaging in the intervention program will make substantial enhancements in their skills and knowledge, with reduced asthma severity. Also, there would be a better understanding of what forms the provision of primary care services to asthmatic patients and what medical care can be offered to them from the standpoint of medical practitioners and nurses.

Limitations of the study

Asthma management in elderly people comes with many challenges to effectively reduce asthmatic attacks and triggers with an intervention program. Some of the few limitations that may arise in this study include failure to use a control group since the illness can potentially improve over time without intervention, lack of problem-solving skills in asthma control, and lack of health knowledge corresponding with unbefitting expectations for care. To overcome these limitations, it is necessary to ignore a control group to maximize positive impacts and intervention benefits among the members. In addition to this, several team players will be selected to take part in the intervention program so that one individual can compensate for skills that the other participant lacks.

Nonetheless, there are other challenges in key areas, which individuals who want to be professional healthcare practitioners might face through cultural, regulatory, and financial obstacles. These key areas include incentives, time and resources, tools, and training, and networks and support. To overcome these barriers that may arise in the research, several solutions can be applied. For instance, to tackle the incentive problem, laws under the Affordable Care Act can motivate the development of intervention programs for individuals with less knowledge and skills about asthma management in the elderly. The community members at large can come up with ways to finance the intervention programs. Additionally, it is vital to have a re-start of the makeover of the treatment center to have the development of a preventive asthma intervention program.

Definition of terms

Anticholinergic and Beta2-agonists: Drugs that relax the muscles that stiffen around the airways, to improve breathing.

Dry powder inhaler (DPI): A device for inhaling respiratory drugs that are in powder form.

Dyspnea: Shortness of breath

Hydrofluoroalkane Inhaler (HFA): A small spray container in a plastic ampule that releases medication in mist form when hard-pressed down from the top. It is also called a "metered dose inhaler".

Theophylline: A long-term control drug that unblocks the airways to stop and relieve bronchospasm.

Nebulizer: An equipment that changes asthma liquid medication into fine drops that are inhaled through a mask.

Pulse oximetry: A test in which a machine is clipped on the finger to measure the oxygen level in the blood.

Mild recurrent asthma: Symptoms occur fewer than two times a week.

Mild persistent asthma: Symptoms occur more than two times a week, but no more than once a day

Moderate persistent asthma: Symptoms occur every day

Severe persistent asthma: Constant symptoms are observed.

Work Cited

Warsi, Asra, et al. "Self-management education programs in chronic disease: a systematic review

and methodological critique of the literature." Archives of internal medicine 164.15 (2004): 1641-1649.