Home care "life coaches" help kids win the asthma game.
Asthma is a widespread disease that affects more than 20 million Americans and up to 150 million people around the world. The cost of treating asthma is $14 billion annually. Particularly hard hit are children in inner city areas; researchers have found that 14 percent of inner city adolescent children are diagnosed with asthma. Sentara Home Care Services in Chesapeake, Virginia, has developed an innovative program to improve the management of asthma among children, particularly inner city children, by implementing a system of "Life Coaches" to counsel proper medication use and lifestyle behaviors for these patients and their families.
Chetney
Rhonda
R
Sentara Home Care Services, Chesapeake, Virginia, USA. rrchetne@sentara.com
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003376:Counseling; D019468:Disease Management; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012648:Self Care; D014504:Urban Health; D014768:Virginia