Asthma Education

This book comprehensively presents all the necessary information health professionals need to become Certified Asthma Educators. Competent asthma educators must possess a number of skills: they must have appropriate and sound medical and pharmaceutical knowledge; be proficient and effective educators who can influence their patients’ behaviors for the better; and, finally, they need the administrative and organizational skills needed to set up and run efficient clinics at their places of work. The book is divided into three sections to meet those needs: Asthma: The Fundamentals; The Role of Education; and, The Effective Asthma Educator.

The first section covers clinical knowledge of asthma, with chapters including lung structure and function, clinical presentation of asthma, and environmental issues in asthma management. The second section delves into the role of educating patients and teaches readers how to best do that with an integrated approach between physician, educator, and patient. The third section looks further into educating techniques with a view of the learning process, considerations for instruction locations, and the role the educator plays overall. The final chapter in the book presents example cases for readers to assess the knowledge they have learned throughout. This second edition serves as both textbook and study guide for certification as well as a long-term reference publication. It has been fully updated from the previous edition with the latest treatment guidelines, medications, and disease monitoring methods.

This is an ideal guide for asthma educators, those seeking NAECB certification, and any health professional involved with individuals who have asthma.

• asthma
• education
• inhaler
• adherence
• lungs

• University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

  Ian Mitchell

• Edmonton, Canada

  Gaynor Govias

Ian Mitchell, MB, MA, FRCPC, FRCPCH, FCCP is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the University of Calgary in Canada. He is also a Pediatric Respirologist and Medical Director at Complex Airway Clinic and RSV Prevention Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary. He has held a variety of administrative positions both at Alberta Children's Hospital, including Vice-President Medical Services, and at the University of Calgary, including Director of the Office of Medical Bioethics. He has more than 200 publications, including peer-reviewed, invited and review articles, book chapters and books. He was honored by the Faculty Association of University of Calgary with its Community Service Award (2011), and has received national lifetime achievement awards in both respirology and bioethics. He is the recipient of the 2021 Alan Ross Award, the most prestigious honour given by the Canadian Paediatric Society, recognizing lifelong excellence in the fields of paediatric research, education, healthcare and advocacy.

Gaynor Govias, B Sc, BEd, CAI was one of the first persons in North America to obtain the Certified Asthma Educator and Instructor designation from NARTC, England. In 1994, she founded the Asthma Education Clinic Ltd. and pioneered the use of worldwide remote teaching of health professionals seeking to learn more about asthma and effective asthma education. She is the author of two asthma books, four texts on teaching techniques, as well as over 50 monographs and 100 articles. She has developed and taught asthma courses since 2002 and has trained hundreds of asthma educators through her "Asthma 401" course. Her courses for parents and schools have been taught in the USA, Canada and the Middle East. Her expertise has been recognized through invitations to speak and present workshops at international medical conferences including the Allied Health conferences (American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology and American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology) and the Canadian Network of Asthma Care. In addition, she has chaired committees for these organizations and for other groups. She was one of the first advocates for national certification of professionally trained asthma educators. 

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