Albert Einstein Medical Center Offers Successful Asthma Intervention and Retraining Program

Philadelphia, PA, May 18, 2006– The City of Philadelphia was recently rated the third worst place in the United States to live if you suffer from asthma according to a study by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.  Recent seasonal changes of temperature and rain, along with the increase in pollen counts have made matters even worse.  To address this serious health problem, Albert Einstein Medical Center launched the AIR Program– A sthma I ntervention & R etraining – to help people with persistent asthma learn how to get their asthma under control.

The program was created because of the large number of patients who repeatedly come to Einstein’s Emergency Room to get treatment for asthma attacks.  “We receive over 3,200 patient visits each year due to asthma in our emergency room, and we found that about 600 of those patients have visited the emergency department for their asthma five or more times over a two-year period,” says John Kelly, DO, Associate Chairman of Einstein’s Emergency Department and co-founder of the AIR Program. “It was clear from these ER visits that a proactive, educational program was needed to reduce these severe asthma attacks and the hospitalizations that often result.  We want to help people breathe easier and improve their quality of life . . . that’s what our AIR Program is all about,” Kelly adds. The AIR Program is offered to anyone with persistent asthma (symptoms more than once per week) and who have had at least two Emergency Department visits in one year.

The results with the first 100 participants show that people who attended the AIR Program are two and a half times less likely to need emergency care for their asthma, compared to those who did not participate in the program. People who attended the AIR Program also showed a real improvement in their quality of life.  They had a significant decrease in the fear and frustration that occurred, along with a reduction in wheezing, shortness of breath or awakening at night with coughing. “These results show what can happen when people with asthma are empowered with the skills to take better care of themselves,” says Kevin Ryan, BS, RCP, the Respiratory Care Practitioner who is trained as an asthma educator and directs the AIR Program with Dr. Kelly. 

Understanding how to use the Asthma Action Plan is the foundation of the AIR Program.  Using this simple tool has been shown to reduce asthma deaths by 70% and is the cornerstone of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program.  The Asthma Action Plan outlines self-care instructions to keep asthma under control and what to do if asthma symptoms worsen. Using the right medications, at the right dosage, the right number of times per day keeps asthma under control.

Ryan explains, “Knowing when to “Step-Up” the doses of inhaled medication when symptoms increase is only one part of preventing asthma from worsening. Knowing the best breathing technique to get that dose of medication into the lungs is essential.”  When medications can ride a smooth flow of air deep into the lungs, the inflammation and bronchial constriction that cause narrow air passages are cleared up and symptoms decrease.  Different types of inhaler devices require different breathing patterns to accomplish those results.  Propellant types have to be shaken before use and breathed in with a slow breath.  However, if you use a dry powder inhaler, those devices require a fast breath.

Ryan says when he works with patients he uses basic concepts everyone understands and can easily remember. For example, he describes medication particles as little “keys” that must get into the little “keyholes” of cells lining the airways to make the tissues open up.  This explains why the way medications are breathed in is so important.

The program has worked really well for 26-year-old North Philadelphia resident Latonya Bennett who was diagnosed with asthma at age two. “I’m happy to say I haven’t had any visits to the Emergency Room since I started the program,” says Bennett. “I think it’s because for the very first time I understand what happens to my lungs during an asthma attack and how my medications work,” Bennett says.  “I always have my Asthma Action Plan handy so I know exactly what to do,” she adds.

The AIR Program has been funded by a grant from the Albert Einstein Society. For more information on the AIR Program, call 215-456-6673. 

Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, a member of the Jefferson Health System, provides healthcare services through Albert Einstein Medical Center, Germantown Community Health Services, Willow Terrace (a nursing home), Einstein at Elkins Park, MossRehab, Willowcrest (a center for subacute care), Belmont Behavioral Health and a number of outpatient and satellite locations.  Einstein also operates a primary care network, Einstein Neighborhood Healthcare.  For more information, visit www.einstein.edu or call 1-800-EINSTEIN.

CONTACT: Judy Horwitz
  Communications Specialist
  Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
215-456-6767  horwitzj@einstein.edu

Publish date: May 18, 2006