World Asthma Day: RTs Are On the Job!

April 26, 2012

The whole world will be turning its attention to asthma on Tuesday, May 1, as we mark this year’s World Asthma Day. For respiratory therapists, that means a great opportunity to network with fellow health care providers and the general public alike to let them know more about the vital role RTs play in the care of asthma patients.

It’s also the perfect time to hone your own asthma management skills using resources from your professional association.

You can find all this and more right here on AARC.org:

• Our Asthma Prep Course—now available completely online—covers all the information you need to help your patients and prepare for the Asthma Educator-Certified exam at the same time.  
• Our ARCF/EPA asthma courses cover indoor asthma triggers and allergy testing and smoking cessation, and offer free CRCEs.
• Our Guide to Aerosol Delivery Devices for Respiratory Therapists will bring you up-to-speed on the nebulizers, MDIs, and DPIs your patients use to treat their asthma.
• Our brand new Patient’s Guide to Aerosol Drug Delivery is a great resource on aerosol delivery you can hand out to your patients and families who are dealing with asthma.
• Our Asthma Self-Management Education (ASME) program can put an official stamp of approval on your asthma program, making it easier to market the program to patients, physicians, and even third party payors. 
• Our Asthma Disease Management Roundtable, now hosted on AARConnect, is open to all AARC members at no extra charge and provides a wonderful way to tap into the expertise of your colleagues in asthma care across the nation and around the world.
• Our YourLungHealth.org consumer website has lots of asthma-related information you can share with your patients.
• Our online consumer magazine, Allergy & Asthma Health, features informative stories written especially for asthma and allergy patients by AARC members.
• Our online Peak Performance USA program has everything you need to partner with local schools for asthma education.
• Our public relations tools offer step-by-step instructions on getting media coverage for your events.

World Asthma Day is sponsored every year by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). In addition to the AARC resources noted above, you can find lots of resources on the GINA Activity Planning webpages, including ideas for activities, an activity planning guide, and tips on reaching the media.