Emergency hospital admissions for children with asthma increase significantly in the month of September, and the Asthma Society of Ireland is providing free training and support in Galway on September 16 to help parents and teachers.
Hospital admissions for children suffering with asthma aged between five and 14 years rose from 41 admissions in August to 143 in September (2012 ), an increase of 249 per cent, according to the most recent figures available from the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry Scheme. In the same year, the average length of hospital stays increased by 51 per cent; from 1.41 days in August to 2.14 days in September.
The most common chronic illness in Ireland, asthma affects one in five children. To combat this spike in hospital admissions at ‘back-to-school’ time, the Asthma Society of Ireland is hosting a series of free asthma management clinics at town centres nationwide, with dedicated visits to primary schools. There will be a visit to Briarhill National School, Briarhill, Ballybrit, on the morning of September 16, and a free clinic in Eyre Square that afternoon from 2pm to 5pm.
Helping parents and teachers to prepare for ‘back-to-school’ time, an asthma nurse specialist will be on hand to help children to learn more about asthma, and parents and teachers will be urged to put an asthma management plan and a school policy in place to better control the condition for children.
Frances Guiney, asthma nurse specialist with the Asthma Society of Ireland, said: “These are stark figures. The month of September is clearly a dangerous time for children with asthma with significant spikes in hospital admissions. Furthermore our own research shows that children miss 10 days of school each year due to asthma.
“Asthma is a very controllable condition, and many of these emergency situations can be avoided with the right support systems in place. It is imperative that parents and teachers empower children with an asthma management plan to achieve maximum control over the condition and cope with the onset of any asthma symptoms.”
Advice on general ‘back-to-school’ asthma management includes having your child’s asthma reviewed by a GP before school starts and asking for a written personal asthma management plan. This plan will include information on how to better control asthma symptoms, for example: How your child can achieve better asthma control; details on your child’s asthma medication; importance of taking the medication as prescribed; how to tell when asthma symptoms are getting worse and what you should do about this; and what to do if your child has an asthma attack.
For parents of a child with asthma, it is important to visit your child’s school and make sure the teacher is aware that your child has asthma, what his/her triggers are, and what to do if your child has an asthma attack or symptoms of asthma. Further advice for parents includes: to check if there is an asthma school policy in place, or what provisions are made if a child with asthma joins the school; use an Asthma Society of Ireland school card to record essential details about your child’s health and treatment; Make sure your child carries his/her blue inhaler (reliever ) at all times and that a spare reliever inhaler is left in school and labelled clearly with his/her name; and keep your child at home if he/she is not well enough to attend school.
Guidelines for schools on how to deal with asthma are available from the Asthma Society of Ireland. For advice or support on asthma, or for further information about the asthma clinics to be held nationwide visit www.asthma.ie
