What to expect at the doctor's office

In order to carefully monitor your asthma according to National Institutes of Health guidelines, a physician will generally do the following:

• Help you set goals and work with you to achieve them.
• Provide you with a written "action plan" that explains how to manage your asthma on a daily or regular basis. These instructions should include what to do during an asthma attack.
• If you have moderate to severe persistent asthma, teach you how to monitor your peak flow and your asthma signs. Give you a record chart to track the results each day. (Some children may be too young for symptom or peak flow tracking.)
• Answer your questions and check to make sure you understand your medications.
• Adjust your treatment plan as needed. The doctor should be able to optimize your treatment plan, so that your asthma is under control and side effects are minimal.

At each visit, the physician will:

• Ask you whether your asthma symptoms are impacting your life in any way.
• Examine you and sometimes do formal breathing tests. Spirometry, or at least peak flow measurement, should be done at the time you are first assessed, after your symptoms have first been brought under control, and then at least every one to two years to make sure your asthma is still under control.
• See if you understand your action plan and assess your level of satisfaction with the treatment.
• Verify at each visit that you correctly use an inhaler or peak flow meter.

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