title: Eight key questions to ask when your patient with asthma doesn't get better.
abstract: Patients with asthma who are treated according to published guidelines usually have good outcomes. However, when these patients fail to improve despite our best efforts, a systematic review focusing on eight key questions can usually spot where the management plan went wrong. When we have to go back to the drawing board in the care of these patients, these are the important issues to consider: (1) Is it the environment? (2) Is it the workplace? (3) Is it noncompliance? (4) Is it lack of education? (5) Is it blunted patient perception? (6) Is it poor technique in administering medication? (7) Is it the wrong treatment? (8) Is it something other than asthma?
authors.affiliation: Sansum Medical Clinic, Santa Barbara, California 93105, USA.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Berlow
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016312:Treatment Refusal
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents