So I've been trying my hand at some asthma planned visits this summer in order to be a better medical home for my patients in managing their chronic disease, as well as, to help fill in the typically lighter summer schedule. During these appointments I bring in asthmatics in their usual state of health and we assess the severity of their disease, review their medications, talk about upcoming flu vaccination, and talk about what to do when their asthma gets worse. The idea here of course is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Hopefully this will help some stay out of the ER and hospital if their disease is controlled a little better and the patients are reacquainted with what asthma is all about.
My biggest obstacle in doing this to date is that people, at least in my small town, don't get the idea of chronic disease yet. "Why do I need to come in to talk about asthma, my breathing is fine right now?" It's a similar line of thinking that I hear all to frequently in attempting to manage high blood pressure, "No, 160/100 is normal for me. I've always be this way. I don't feel like I have high blood pressure."
Once again I am reminded of how much work we have to do in education our patients and the public in general. There is no way that all of this can be done in a ten or fifteen minute appointment. Patients need to hear about how to manage chronic disease repeatedly and in many different ways. Oh, we do have a long way to go.
My biggest obstacle in doing this to date is that people, at least in my small town, don't get the idea of chronic disease yet. "Why do I need to come in to talk about asthma, my breathing is fine right now?" It's a similar line of thinking that I hear all to frequently in attempting to manage high blood pressure, "No, 160/100 is normal for me. I've always be this way. I don't feel like I have high blood pressure."
Once again I am reminded of how much work we have to do in education our patients and the public in general. There is no way that all of this can be done in a ten or fifteen minute appointment. Patients need to hear about how to manage chronic disease repeatedly and in many different ways. Oh, we do have a long way to go.
The Country Doctor