Discuss a nurse-led intervention in relation to either primary or secondary prevention for one of the following areas - cardiac, respiratory, diabetes, woman's health, men's health, and urology.
Asthma can be defined as a disease of airway smooth muscle, characterized by episodic bronchospasm occurring in response to a variety of specific and non-specific stimuli (e.g., allergens, methacholine, air pollution, exercise, cigarette smoke, and cold air) Rees and Price (1995:1). This essay will discuss the pathophysiology of asthma to give an insight into the process of the condition, and review the statistics of the prevalence and incidence of asthma in Scotland. Risk factors that can influence the onset of an asthma attack will also be discussed regarding triggers and genetics. A primary prevention study and a secondary prevention study in asthma will also be reported and the findings will be discussed. A Prevention programme in asthma management will also be discussed looking at the role of the nurse in an asthma clinic and the purpose of asthma clinics for an asthma sufferer. Possible strategies for prevention will also be discussed looking at assessment and risk assessment, specific interventions aimed to reduce the risks of an asthma attack and symptom management. Patients' involvement in decisions about treatment and care will also be discussed looking at self management plans. Nursing interventions aimed at improving compliance to treatment will also be discussed looking at communication methods of the nurse.
Airway inflammation is a persistent feature of asthma, even between acute flare-ups, and plays a critical role in the alteration in lung function. Asthma is regarded as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role, in particular, mast cells, eosinophils, T-lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and epithelial cells Barnes (1996:6).
