New website provides tools to manage asthma

New website provides tools to help better manage childhood asthma

PHARMAC and the Asthma Foundation have today launched a new website designed to help people better manage children’s asthma.

The Space to Breathe website is an information site for health professionals working with children with asthma and for carers of children with asthma, including their parents.

PHARMAC’s Manager Access and Optimal Use Marama Parore says the website, which supports the Space to Breathe asthma campaign developed by PHARMAC, provides simple, easy to use information for families caring for children with asthma.

“The information is designed to help people manage children’s asthma from day to day. This includes information about what asthma is, identifying and understanding individual triggers and signs of asthma, what to do during emergencies, understanding asthma medications and how to use them effectively, and where to get support.”

For parents and carers, the website includes information about asthma and how it can be managed, along with resources (such as brochures and leaflets) they can download or get posted to them, for free.

For health professionals, the website features free educational resources, including asthma educators’ flip-charts, brochures, and a decision support tool, where they can print out personalised asthma action plans for their patients.

“The decision support tool, developed by Best Practice Advocacy Centre (BPAC), enables practitioners to track and review a patient’s asthma medication, dosage, directions of use, individual triggers and when to review the current regime,” says Marama Parore.

“This generates an individualised action plan for the patient that can be printed out immediately or mailed directly to their homes.”

“We think health professionals will find the decision support tool very useful, as an aid to help them give patients personalised guidance on managing their, or their children’s asthma.”

About Space to Breathe

• Space to Breathe was developed by PHARMAC with support and guidance from the Asthma Foundation and the Paediatric Society, and aims to increase recognition of childhood asthma in primary care, and improve the prescribing and use of appropriate asthma medicines.

• The campaign is primarily aimed at families with children aged under 5 who have asthma; and at health practitioners who work with children with asthma.

• The website and relevant resources will be translated into Māori and Pacific Island languages (Tongan, Samoan and Cook Islands Māori).

ENDS