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The Minnesota Department of Health has created a free home environmental assessment training, named Reducing Environmental Triggers of Asthma–Home, or RETA-Home. This program teaches you about the triggers of asthma found in the home and suggests simple interventions that can limit or eliminate exposure to them. It also tours a home to show areas where asthma triggers are found. The training takes about 40 minutes to view. It includes pre- and post-test questions that highlight important points, and you may print out a certificate of completion at the end. In addition, there is a resource section that can be accessed both during the program and after the program has been completed.

This training utilizes the expertise of individuals who have extensive experience in both providing in-home asthma management and conducting home assessments. It builds on data from projects showing that environmental interventions, coupled with in-home asthma medical management, are effective in reducing nighttime symptoms, missed school days, and the number of asthma hospital visits and unscheduled, urgent care office visits.

This training program was made possible from grants from EPA Region V and CDC.

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The National Asthma Education Prevention Program's (NAEPP) Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR3) guidelines have stressed the need for environmental control measures for asthma, but there is limited evidence of their efficacy. To examine the effectiveness of an in-home asthma intervention program for children and adults in Connecticut, the Connecticut Department of Health conducted a panel study to analyze quality-of-life indicators for asthmatic patients and the cost–benefit relationship in preventive care versus acute care.

The Asthma Indoor Reduction Strategies (AIRS) program was developed to reduce acute asthma episodes and improve asthma control through patient education and a home environmental assessment. Follow-up was conducted at 2-week, 3-month, and 6-month intervals. Measured quality-of-life indicators included number of unscheduled acute care visits, days absent from school/work due to asthma, times rescue inhaler used, and number of symptom-free days. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether significant differences exist in quality-of-life indicators at follow-up compared to that at the initial visit. Cost–benefit analysis was conducted by tabulating costs associated with physician office visits and emergency department (ED) visits due to asthma for children and adults separately.

Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/eprint/eN253shxhBC2scjwiSNR/full?tokenKey=