Title: (Reports 2 of 12) "Environmental Management of Pediatric Asthma: Guidelines for Health Care Providers"
Author:
Section/SPIG: Environment
Issue Date:
Responding to mounting data that primary care providers need more environmental health training to prevent, recognize and treat diseases caused by environmental exposures, The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF) released "Environmental Management of Pediatric Asthma: Guidelines for Health Care Providers." This project was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
The role of environmental triggers of asthma is well recognized and has been included in the NIH, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. Research, including the Inner-City Asthma Study about individualized, home-based environmental interventions for hundreds of children in major U.S. cities, has demonstrated that environmental interventions decreased allergen levels, resulting in reduced asthma symptoms.
According to a recent study published in the journal "Environmental Health Perspectives," pediatric medical and nursing education currently lacks the environmental health content necessary to appropriately prepare pediatric health care professionals to prevent, recognize, and manage diseases related to environmental exposures.
Asthma can be a life-threatening disease if not properly controlled through appropriate asthma care management, which relies on physicians' and nurses' clinical knowledge and skills, as well as parents' and children's daily attention to asthma triggers and medications.
"Environmental Management of Pediatric Asthma: Guidelines for Health Care Providers" is filled with practical strategies for integrating environmental management of asthma into health professionals' curriculum and clinical practice. These practical strategies are built upon NEETF's previous study funded by the NIEHS, which examined the medical and nursing educational structures and identified the leverage points where environmental health can be incorporated. The guidelines were developed and peer-reviewed by expert panels and are founded on the NAEPP Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma and are intended to be used in conjunction with its clinical and pharmacological components, as part of a child's comprehensive asthma management plan.
The guidelines are part of NEETF's Pediatric Asthma Initiative in partnership with the NIEHS. The initiative is a long-term project focused on integrating environmental management of asthma into pediatric medical and nursing education and practice. The guidelines are an extension of NEETF's Position Statement on Health Professionals and Environmental Health Education, which is endorsed by more than 20 leading medical, nursing and education organizations. Complete guidelines are available at <http://www.neetf.org/Health/asthma.htm>.