As the incidence and diagnosis of Asthma increases in the community, health care dollars spent on the treatment of this condition continues to rise as well. To address this concern and reduce the overall morbidity of those people affected by asthma, Asthma Education has been advocated to ensure better control of asthma symptoms and reduce acute exacerbations. A multi-disciplinary team of Health professions in the region met and developed an Educational Booklet aimed at providing a broad overview of key asthma management issues for the patient. This booklet has been disseminated to the stakeholders involved and is aimed towards use in the Emergency Department or in Outpatient Clinics for one-on-one sessions between the patient & health care provider.

Recognizing that while these sessions met a basic need for providing some education to asthmatics, their impact was limited by two issues 1) the time allotted (usually a one hour session) and 2) the lack of a more formalized multi-disciplinary program at the Misericordia to refer clients to if there were more complex educational needs.

Furthermore, a move formalized comprehensive program is required to meet various Community agencies needs for Asthma Education; these agencies include schools, community leagues and affiliated amateur sports teams, as well as other potential consumers.

To ensure the Program is outcome orientated, a national database from Glaxo Wellcome Canada (the Community Asthma Care Centre database) is being utilized by the Clinic.