Outpatient management of asthma in children age 5-11 years: guidelines for practice.

PURPOSE

To increase awareness among nurse practitioners (NPs) regarding diagnostic and treatment guidelines for asthma for the 5-11 year age group recently updated by the National Asthma Education Prevention Program-Expert Panel 3 (NAEPP-EPR3).

DATA SOURCES

NAEPP-EPR3 guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma released from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in August 2007, selected clinical trials, meta-analyses, and clinical reviews.

CONCLUSIONS

Recent research has revealed that children suffering from asthma in the United States are underdiagnosed and their asthma is poorly controlled. Compelling evidence supports that children classified as having persistent asthma following NAEPP-EPR3 guidelines benefit from daily inhaled corticosteroid therapy, yet many are misclassified and undertreated.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

With application of current guidelines from NAEPP-EPR3, NPs can more effectively assess, diagnose, treat, and foster a collaborative self-management plan for children age 5-11 years. These interventions will result in an improved quality of life and decreased health risks for this young population.