Self-management skills for cooperative care in asthma.

The increases in morbidity and mortality rates from asthma over the last decade may be attributable in part to delayed and ineffective action on the part of patients and parents. Providing information about this disorder and educating patients, families, and communities in asthma self-management and cooperative-care skills may help reverse these trends. Such programs are designed to complement the traditional health care system and include instruction about the pathophysiology of asthma, ways to recognize and treat symptoms, adverse drug effects, and the need for professional assistance. In this article are outlined seven exemplary asthma self-care programs available to physicians and other health care providers.