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Diagnosing Asthma: Treatment and Communication Plans
Introduction
Despite the information presented in the case, it may be hard to diagnose asthma directly, unless specific symptoms are identified in the childs medical history. The symptoms outlined by the childs mother may also be linked to the conditions other than asthma. To diagnose asthma accurately and make sure that the child is going to receive rational treatment, the doctors will have to perform several tests intended to either prove or disprove the childs condition. The most important test out of all is spirometry a test of lung functioning. The idea of this test is to measure the volume of air that the child will be able to exhale and get insight into the velocity of the childs lungs (Fausett & Miller, 2019). The doctor may create different conditions to increase the validity of the lung test: for instance, they could perform spirometry after exercising or taking specialized medication.
Another test that the doctor could complete to approve of asthma diagnosis is bronchoprovocation. This test is required to estimate how the patients lungs react to different provocations such as direct disclosure to cold air, for example. This test could also be assisted by the measurement of nitric oxide that is exhaled by the child. This intervention may help the doctor if they are uncertain about asthma after performing lung function tests. The rationale behind completing this routine is to determine whether the childs asthma could be treated with steroid medications (Gillette et al., 2018). Given that the child is eight years old, every asthma test described above will be accurate enough to help the doctor diagnose asthma properly. It is critical to observe symptoms further and ensure that conditions that make the childs condition worse are absent.
Treatment Plan
Pharmacological treatment for the child should be based on bronchodilator medications, with the child having to take them more than two times per week during the day and at least two times per month during the night. Nonetheless, the choice of medications should be rather accurate in order to prevent incorrect delivery (depending on the age of the child, the latter could not be able to coordinate their breathing activity to use an ordinary inhaler). It may be recommended to prescribe corticosteroids (such as Mometasone, for example) (Desager et al., 2018). The benefit of this medication is that it accurately controls the symptoms of asthma and allows the patients to maintain their normal everyday life. With the help of Mometasone, the doctor is going to reduce wheezing and shortness of breath that were found in the child during the primary assessment. A home nebulizer may be used to give the medication to the child.
Nonpharmacological treatment for the childs asthma could be based on vitamin B and C intake. The idea behind vitamin ingestion is that it could help decrease inflammation in the patients body and the airways. On the other hand, the doctor could also prescribe natural bronchodilators to help the patient widen their airways together with or without medications. The key element that has to be found in the natural bronchodilators is magnesium. There are numerous products that are rich in magnesium such as avocado, bananas, nuts, and leafy greens. There are also additional products that could help the child mitigate the majority of asthma symptoms, including green tea, Coleus Forskohlii, and lobelia (Desager et al., 2018). Overall, it is recommended to take a mixed approach to the childs asthma and have them intake both the medication and magnesium-rich products.
Communication Plan
When communicating with the childs parents, the doctor should regularly address the need for timely medication intake and the replacement of the medications that are about to expire. The parents should be educated on the conditions, benefits, and potential outcomes of the proposed medical treatment, with a particular focus on the risk minimization initiatives. Any changes or triggers should be immediately communicated to the doctor, as otherwise, the childs condition will get worse. Constant verbal communication with the patient and their parents is required (Fausett & Miller, 2019). The patient should be encouraged to share their experiences and communicate every treatment step to the doctor. A thorough asthma management plan will be elaborated by the doctor together with the child and their parents, helping the care provider collect all the crucial data and select the best possible treatment strategy.
The doctor should clearly outline the medical condition policy and help the child and their family understand how the existing health risks could be minimized and managed. It should be recommended to the patient to participate in asthma refreshers at least once every 3-6 months to make sure that the patient is aware of the key elements included in the communication plan and is going to fulfill their role properly (Booster et al., 2019). Constant feedback from the patient and their family could significantly improve the childs condition. The doctor would be able to make timely edits to the risk minimization plan and assess the existing medical condition in real-time, with no symptoms being left behind (Booster et al., 2019). The child should be recurrently educated on the importance of medications that they intake once in three months, for instance.
Needs Assessment
After the development of an asthma treatment plan, the doctor would be required to complete a full needs assessment of the patient and their family. The idea behind completing this assignment is that it could facilitate the treatment process and make it client-centered, with the most important points included in the treatment plan being coordinated with the patients family (Fausett & Miller, 2019). The patient and their family should also be informed regarding the possible delays in care provisions and how the patient-provider tandem could reduce the transit time in order to speed up the prescription-filling process. The doctor should gain as much insight as possible into the patients and the familys overall perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes. It would help the doctor establish the ultimate treatment cost and align it against the familys circumstances and capabilities.
Based on the information provided in the case study, the childs mother seems to underestimate the importance of asthma symptoms that have been found in her child. The upcoming activities should include the ones aimed at the development of self-management skills. The doctor should constantly help the family generate feedback regarding the treatment process and the patients condition. Further education would help the doctor establish a positive relationship with the patient and their family, allowing the care provider promote further education and tools (Gillette et al., 2018). The patient requires an active approach to clinical care because their condition is going to get worse over time if no action is taken. As an intermediate means of needs assessment, the patient and the patients family members will be asked to fill in questionnaires and provide the doctor with the most up-to-date information.
References
Booster, G. D., Oland, A. A., & Bender, B. G. (2019). Treatment adherence in young children with asthma. Immunology and Allergy Clinics, 39(2), 233-242.
Desager, K., Vermeulen, F., & Bodart, E. (2018). Adherence to asthma treatment in childhood and adolescencea narrative literature review. Acta Clinica Belgica, 73(5), 348-355.
Fausett, J., & Miller, M. V. (2019). What is the best treatment for a child with mild intermittent asthma? Evidence-Based Practice, 22(1), 13-14.
Gillette, C., Rockich-Winston, N., Shepherd, M., & Flesher, S. (2018). Children with asthma and their caregivers help improve written asthma action plans: A pilot mixed-method study. Journal of Asthma, 55(6), 609-614.
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