Lack of Parental and Primary Care Control in Pediatric Asthma Essay

Lack of Parental and Primary Care Control in Pediatric Asthma - Essay Example Indoor as well as outdoor air quality consists of agents such as tobacco smoke, dust mites and cockroaches, which are responsible for asthma exacerbations (Platts-Mills, 1999). Children have narrow airways and rapid respiration rates. This puts them at an increased risk of asthma as compared to adults. The disease is much more widespread then it is believed to be. About 5.3 million children in America suffer from asthma (Adams, 1998). There are many advancements in asthma research and availability of medicine, yet morbidity and treatment costs are still extremely high (Fairfield, 2010). The high treatment costs can lead to a lack of proper parental care. The lack of health insurance in some families has also been shown to present an issue with lack of primary care control for pediatric asthma. Asthma can be properly controled if parents and primary physicians work together to properly plan and care for the affected child. Through, literature review, news articles, and treatment optio ns lack of proper pediatric asthma care will be shown, as well as, how proper care can ensure a lower asthma incidence in the child and lower morbidity. Literature Review Recent studies have indicated that most of the asthmatic children are notable to achieve the optimal level of asthma control that can be obtained (Szefler, 2005). The difficulty with the treatment of asthma and the prevention of its exacerbation has been the widely different perceptions of what is meant by asthma control. Primary care and the ambulatory settings have been identified as the most efficient and effective level of care in order to prevent the exacerbation of asthma. A necessary component of asthma care includes the mitigation of the triggers-both indoor and outdoor that has been associated with the exacerbation of asthma. There has been evidence found through research that there is a direct relation between the socio-economic status of an individual and the exposure he faces to the various risk factors. Children who are staying in poor households and belonging to lower economic strata are more likely to suffer exposure to triggers responsible for asthma, as well as suffe r from improper parental and even physician care. No detailed study has been available in the literature review which specifically deals only with the different aspects associated with the treatment of asthma. Most studies that have been associated with asthma deal with the triggers that have been responsible for exacerbations of asthma (Andrew Harver, 2008). A research paper conducted by L.Kay Barthlomew and other does talk in detail about the benefits of inhaled corticosteroids and their effectiveness (2006). News Articles The Chicago Sun Times reported that a family is suing three hospitals due to the death of their seven year old child as a result of improper asthma care (Korecki, 2011). The mother stated that no one explained anything regarding her son’s treatment just that they had to transfer to another hospital. The second hospital made the mother and son transfer again to a hospital thirty minutes away. Unfortunately before the boy reached the third hospital he died in the ambulance. The mother indicated she knew the routine they would have to sit in the hospital while her boy was treated and once given the treatment he would be fine. They were prepared to wait at the hospital as they had before. The boy was treated at home with an inhaler, but this treatment option did not always help resolve the more severe attacks. According to Perry, Texas it is one of the worst states and