Asthma

  • Establish an accurate diagnosis of asthma through a focused history and physical exam
  • Understand what the appropriate diagnostic testing is for asthma (ie. spirometry and pulmonary function tests), when to order it and how to interpret the findings.
  • Understand the underlying pathophysiology of asthma in order to be able to determine the best management of asthma conditions with respect to:
    • acute and recurrent episodes of asthma and prophylaxis principles
    • mechanism of action for relevant meds
    • red flags of impending asthma crisis
  • Assess asthma control and identify modifiable triggers for patients.
  • Understand the different medication categories, benefits and risks including:
    • SABA, LABA, ICS
  • Propose a management plan for patients with acute exacerbations.

Core Resources

Asthma Clinical Card 2019
.pdf

Keegan DA, Kim G, Thornton TH. Asthma. Canadian Family Medicine Clinical Card. 2019. Available at: https://sites.google.com/site/sharcfm/

Chronic asthma clinical practice guideline.

Toward Optimized Practice (TOP) Asthma Working Group. 2018 April. Chronic asthma clinical practice guideline. Edmonton, AB: Toward Optimized Practice. Available from: http://www.topalbertadoctors.org.

Asthma Devices Clinical Card 2014

Chadha N, Keegan DA. Asthma Devices. Canadian Family Medicine Clinical Card. 2013. Available at: https://sites.google.com/site/sharcfm/

Respiratory Medications Reference

Ontario Lung Association in partnership with Primary Care Asthma Program (PCAP). Respiratory Medications Reference. February 2021. Electronic most-updated version can be accessed at: https://hcp.lunghealth.ca/clinical-tools/

AsthmaActionPlan_ENG

Asthma Society of Canada. Asthma Action Plan. Available at http://asthma.ca/

Office Emergencies emodule

Jansz G, Law M, Lee S et al. Office Emergencies: Family and Community Medicine Clerkship Core Curriculum Module. University of Toronto.

Cough.  Family and Community Medicine Clerkship Core Curriculum Module

Young S, Mardimae A.  Cough.  Family and Community Medicine Clerkship Core Curriculum Module.  University of Toronto.  March 2018.

2021 Canadian Thoracic Society Guideline – A focused update on the management of very mild and mild asthma

Yang C, et al. 2021 Canadian Thoracic Society Guideline – A focused update on the management of very mild and mild asthma. Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine. 2021. Pp. 1-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/24745332.2021.1877043

Supplemental Resources

Correct Inhaler Usage Resources

CASCADES. Correct Inhaler Usage Resources. Found at: https://cascadescanada.ca/resources/all-topics/inhalers/sustainable-inhaler-resources-for-patients-2/

Canadian Thoracic Society 2021 Guideline update_ Diagnosis and management of asthma in preschoolers

Connie L. Yang, Elizabeth Anne Hicks, Patrick Mitchell, Joe Reisman, Delanya
Podgers, Kathleen M. Hayward, Mark Waite & Clare D. Ramsey (2021) Canadian Thoracic Society 2021 Guideline update: Diagnosis and management of asthma in preschoolers, children and adults, Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, 5:6, 348-361, DOI: 10.1080/24745332.2021.1945887 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/24745332.2021.1945887