- Return unused medication.
- Provide medication forms.
- Request personal Asthma Action Plan to be completed for the next school year.
- Remind the parent to make an appointment with the doctor to get a health update and forms completed. Doctor’s offices can get VERY BUSY close to the start of school.
- Discuss progress made in self-management at home and school.
Asthma Training & Education For Schools
School employees should know the following about asthma and asthma care:
- asthma signs and symptoms
- common risk factors and asthma triggers
- how to prevent asthma flares
- never send a child to the School Health Office alone
- what are the signs and symptoms of an emergency
- how to respond to an asthma emergency
- needed medication, such as a quick-relief inhaler
- how to administer the medication
- how to access emergency medical services as needed (911)
- how to manage activities, environmental triggers, and use daily air quality information
Consider using multiple teaching approaches to educate staff. Teaching methods may include:
- group educational session at a faculty meeting
- small group approaches during a team meeting
- individual sessions for teachers who are responsible for students with severe asthma.
Reinforce the teaching through faculty newsletters, reading materials in the faculty room, and individual notes or emails.
RELATED: How To Protect Your Child From Common Asthma Triggers
What Asthma Action Plan Should Be Used At School?
Allergy & Asthma Network recommends the School Asthma Management Program (SAMPRO) Asthma Action Plans and resources. The SAMPRO resources were developed with multiple stakeholders under the direction of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology (AAAAI) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN).
The student’s healthcare provider should complete the Asthma Action Plan. It is based on the provider’s assessment and medical orders.
Asthma Action Plans usually provide the child and family with steps to follow depending on their current symptoms:
- Green Zone – daily care when symptoms are under control
- Yellow Zone – actions to take when a student is beginning to experience an asthma attack
- Red Zone – steps to follow when asthma becomes an emergency