Do you have female asthma patients who could use help managing their disease? We are recruiting participants for Women Breathe Free, an evidence-based educational program created by the University of Michigan’s Center for Managing Chronic Disease. The program’s goal is to help women across the United States gain better control over their asthma and their lives. Allergy & Asthma Network has partnered with the university to implement the program at the community level.
This innovative program is based on self-management theory and teaches women a sequenced problem-solving process to manage their asthma. It helps women develop skills to identify and address situations and symptoms that can lead to an asthma flare such as stress; not taking medications; or exposure to triggers such as pollen, mold or dust mites. Women Breathe Free offers four telephone counseling sessions conducted during times that fit into each participant’s schedule. Each participant receives a workbook and other program materials and will walk through them with a nurse educator during the telephone sessions to learn what causes their asthma to worsen, what helps keep it under control, ways to track their symptoms, which medication is most appropriate, and how to work with a doctor to develop an asthma action plan.
In a randomized, controlled trial of more than 800 women, Women Breathe Free was shown to reduce the frequency of asthma-related emergency department and scheduled/unscheduled office visits as well as missed work/school days. Participants also had fewer asthma symptoms and improved quality of life.
Women Breathe Free is for women 18 years or older with diagnosed asthma. It is free and confidential – no personal information will be collected.
If you think this program can help your adult women patients with asthma, we would appreciate if you could:
· Tell your patient to call 800.878.4403, or email Marcela Gieminiani at mgieminiani@aanma.org for more information.
We appreciate your support and look forward to your referrals to this innovative program. Let’s Breathe Better Together!
Marcela Gieminiani