Resources

As summer begins, take some time to fill out the free My Asthma Wallet Card from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. This handy wallet card for patients includes information on common warning signs of an asthma attack and questions to talk to your doctor about. It also provides space to record your asthma action plan, peak flow, and medicines.

Recorded Webinars

Practical Evaluation Using the CDC Evaluation Framework

The National Asthma Control Program, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, has created a four-part Webinar series on program evaluation basics. Nationally recognized experts present a general introduction to program evaluation; note challenges in conducting useful evaluations as well as methods for overcoming those challenges; and introduce the six steps of the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation using examples that are relevant to state partners of the National Asthma Control Program. Click the following link to begin the seminar series today:

Webinar 1: Top Roadblocks on the Path to Good Evaluation – And How to Avoid Them

Presented by Tom Chapel, MA, MBA, CDC Chief Evaluation Officer (Acting)

Tom Chapel, a nationally recognized evaluation expert, introduces CDC’s approach to program evaluation. After making the case for a utilization-focused evaluation framework, Tom presents some typical challenges programs encounter when trying to do good program evaluation… More »

Tutorial 1A – Focus On: Walking Through the Steps and Standards
Program improvement is at the heart of CDC’s Framework for Program Evaluation. In this tutorial, Tom Chapel describes each of the six steps of the Framework and the four evaluation standards. More »

Webinar 2: Getting Started and Engaging Your Stakeholders

Presented by Leslie Fierro, MPH, Independent evaluation consultant to the NACP
Carlyn Orians, MA, Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation

Leslie Fierro and Carlyn Orians describe the initial steps of designing and implementing a program evaluation plan. They discuss… More »

Webinar 3: Describing Your Program and Choosing an Evaluation Focus

Presented by Tom Chapel, MA, MBA, CDC Chief Evaluation Officer (Acting)

Tom Chapel describes the importance of a clear program description in program evaluation and explores the concept and uses of logic models in “describing the program” (Step 2 in the CDC Framework). He then moves to focusing the evaluation design (Step 3),… More »

Tutorial 3A – Focus On: Thinking About Design
In this tutorial, Tom Chapel describes the various evaluation design options, and the strengths and weaknesses of experimental and non-experimental design models. More »

Webinar 4: Gathering Data, Developing Conclusions, and Putting Your Findings to Use

Presented by Dr. Christina Christie, Claremont Graduate University

Christina Christie covers Steps 4, 5, and 6 in the CDC Framework (gathering evidence, justifying conclusions, and ensuring use). She describes the processes of gathering and using data for program bench-marking, improvement, and accountability. More »

Tutorial 4A – Focus On: Data Collection Choices
In this tutorial, Tom Chapel discusses how to convert evaluation questions into measureable indicators and how those indicators help inform your data collection choices. More »

Tutorial 4B – Focus On: Using Mixed Methods
In some instances, using a single method of inquiry to answer your evaluation questions may result in incomplete or incorrect findings. The “mixed methods” approach, which is a combination of at least one qualitative and one quantitative data collection method, addresses this concern. In this webinar, Tom Chapel provides the rationale for such an approach and describes some of the choices and challenges evaluators face when using this now well-accepted evaluation methodology. The webinar includes several simple examples as well as a discussion of the importance of looking to the evaluation standards for guidance when choosing among data collection options. More »

 

Additional Webinars and Trainings

The following webinar and trainings raises awareness about best practices for treating asthma in the Emergency Department and providing self-management education and care coordination to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency department visits.  The webinars/trainings is approximately 1 hour.  Click the links below and provide your information to view the recordings.

Securing Coverage for In-Home Asthma Care Services
Tracy Enger (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), Amanda Reddy (National Center for Healthy Housing) Abby Hugill (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) Jill Bednarek (Healthy Living Branch, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment)
18 February 2015
Learn more about the changing landscape of healthcare coverage and how to prepare your own organization for existing opportunities in sustainable financing.

Asthma in the Primary Care Practice
Step-by-step tutorial intended to assist clinicians in applying the key concepts of the updated recommendations of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Expert Panel Report -3 (EPR-3) into practice. Problem-based learning format will help clinicians apply key changes of the NAEPP, EPR-3; incorporate communication strategies to promote self-management; and integrate trigger reduction recommendations into clinical practice.

  • Provides 3 free Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
  • Provided by the New York State Health, South Bronx Asthma Partnership, and the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, but is applicable to all states and jurisdictions.

Asthma Control: Are you Doing YOUR Part? An Update for School Nurses in School-based Asthma Management
This webinar provides school nurses with information on the six guidelines-based priority messages from the NAEPP’s Guidelines Implementation Panel (GIP) Report, as well as advances in school-based asthma management and techniques to overcome barriers to controlling asthma in the school setting. Hosted by the American School Health Association (Runtime approximately 1 1/2 hours)

Additional Resources

On this page there are links to many different resources for people with asthma and the people who support and care for them. New resources will be added as they become available.

On this page:

Asthma Action Plans

An asthma action plan is a written, individualized worksheet that shows patients and caretakers the steps to take to prevent asthma symptoms from getting worse. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program’s Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (EPR-3 Guidelines) recommend that health care providers caring for patients with asthma work with them to develop an asthma action plan.

Visit our page on Asthma Action Plans to find out more information and to access sample plans that meet the national standards.

Asthma Medications and Devices

Recent studies have estimated that between 75% and 86% of patients do not use their asthma medication properly. Proper medication use is important to get the full benefits. The American Lung Association has posted these videos on YouTube to show proper medication us techniques. In addition to these videos, pharmacists can help you learn to use your medication properly when you pick up your prescription.

  • How to use a metered dose inhaler (MDI) with a spacer:

Asthma Trigger Management

  • Improving asthma symptoms
  • Reducing the number of school days missed to asthma

Health Care Practitioners & Health Plan Resources

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Asthma Care Quality Improvement (AHRQ): A Resource Guide and Workbook for State Action
    The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed Asthma Care Quality Improvement: A Resource Guide for State Action and its companion workbook, Asthma Care Quality Improvement: A Workbook for State Action. These materials were designed in partnership with the Council of State Governments to help States assess the quality of asthma care and create quality improvement strategies.
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): Asthma Return on Investment Calculator
    This is a tool for exploring potential financial returns from quality improvement and disease management programs for populations diagnosed with asthma.
  • American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) – Asthma Self-Management Education (ASME) Accreditation
    The AARC established the Asthma Self-Management Education (ASME) to recognize and certify asthma education programs that adhere to high standard of quality.
  • Asthma Educator Certification
    The National Asthma Educator Certification Board (NAECB) exam is a voluntary testing program used to assess qualified health professionals knowledge in asthma education. It is an evaluative process that demonstrates that rigorous education and experience requirements have been met.
  • Florida Society for Respiratory Care (FSRC)
    The FSRC encourages and promotes professional excellence, advancing the science and practice of respiratory care, and serves as an advocate for patients, their families, the public, the profession, and the respiratory therapist.
  • Joint Commission Asthma Certification
    The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. This includes but is not limited to hospitals, long term care facilities, home care organizations, health plans, physician groups, and disease management companies.
  • NAEPP Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (EPR-3)
    The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP), coordinated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), convened an expert panel in 2007 to complete a systematic review of the published medical literature and to update the asthma guidelines to reflect the latest scientific advances.  This document provides new guidance for selecting treatment based on a patient’s individual needs and level of asthma control.  The guidelines emphasize that while asthma can be controlled, the condition can change over time and differs among individuals and by age groups, emphasizing the importance of regularly monitoring the patient’s level of asthma control and adjusting treatment as needed.

Schools & Childcare Center Resources

Additional National Resources