With proper care, most people with asthma should be able to control their disease. When health care providers deliver asthma care based on the evidence-based asthma guidelines, patient outcomes can be improved and asthma disparities can be reduced.

The Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma, also known as EPR-3 was developed by an expert panel commissioned by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP). This report outlines six priority action messages that reinforce EPR-3 clinical practice recommendations vital for asthma control and high-quality patient-centered care. If practiced widely and routinely, these messages have the potential to change lives.

Below are the Six Priority Messages along with tips and resources to share with your patients:

1. Use inhaled corticosteroids as indicated in the guidelines to control asthma.
   • Learn the difference between {quick-relief} and {controller} medications.
   • Watch What is Asthma? animation to see what happens in your airways during an asthma episode.
2. Use written asthma action plans to guide patient self-management.
   • Learn the importance of using asthma action plans, and download plans in both English and Spanish.
   • Take Asthma Basics, a 50-minute online course that teaches the basics of asthma and asthma self-management (including the importance of using as asthma action plan), how to handle asthma episodes and breathing emergencies.
3. Assess asthma severity at the initial visit to determine initial treatment.
   • To help keep track of medicines, especially when newly prescribed using a medicine schedule can help.
   • Help make medical visits more satisfying by using this helpful tool that can help guide conversations between patients and health care providers.
4. Assess and monitor asthma control and adjust treatment as needed.
   • Watch the How to use a peak flow meter video and download the instructions for future reference.
   • Use a peak flow meter and record readings to monitor control.
5. Schedule follow-up visits at periodic intervals.
   • Learn how to monitor your symptoms and keep an asthma diary.
   • Stay healthy by protecting yourself from the flu, managing and reducing stress, and eating right.
6. Act to control environmental exposures that worsen asthma.
   • Identify your asthma triggers and take steps to reduce or avoid them.
   • Learn how to protect your lungs and healthy air at home, work, school and outdoors.
   • Monitor the state of the air in your city.
   • If you smoke, make a plan to quit.

Attend the Asthma Educator Institute

The Asthma Educator Institute is a two-day professional development course for clinicians and asthma educators committed to providing guideline-based care. The curriculum is also designed to prepare participants to sit for the National Asthma Educator Certification Board (NAECB) examination.

The American Lung Association Asthma Educator Institute was developed in January of 2003 and was recently updated to reflect the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. Click to see the schedule of upcoming Asthma Educator Institutes throughout the country.