We are a group of collaborating researchers specializing in improving asthma care. This program began with a project to implement an asthma improvement program for Navajo children, and has now expanded to make the resources we gathered and developed available to all who might benefit from them.
What is the burden of asthma among Native American children? Why is this needed?
What is the format of the program?
Health Care Provider Training: In the implementation project, we worked with clinic doctors and staff in Navajo Nation to improve assessment, diagnosis and management of asthma. This training includes providing the proper tools for assessment, such as spirometry lung function, as well as training to interpret spirometric data. Training was tailored to suit the needs of each clinic, and generally will involve the following:
- A 90-minute online training in best practices;
- A half-day, in-person training with hands-on spirometry; and
- A follow-up in clinics by our nurse educators, who will help troubleshoot implementation problems and barriers.
Who are the trainers?
Our team brings together physicians, behavioral health experts, social scientists, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists from the University of Arizona, National Jewish Health (a respiratory hospital in Denver, CO), Colorado Children’s Hospital, the University of Michigan, and the University of Utah.
Who has funded the work?
The original Community Asthma Program project was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, for implementation on the Navajo Nation.
1 Brim SN, et al. Pediatrics. 2008;122(1):e217-222; Mehal JM, et al. Chest. 014;146(3):624-632; Navajo Epidemiology Center. Navajo Nation Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2011