Handling the Whole Patient: A Case of Asthma Exacerbation
Initial Assessment 4
Apart from asthma, her past medical history includes rheumatoid arthritis, previous peptic ulcer disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease
No relevant family history
Feedback:
You would like to know how well her asthma is controlled on a day to day basis as this helps stratify which patients are more at risk of near fatal or life threatening exacerbations
Ask how often she is using her reliever inhaler, how often does she need rescue steroid therapy, previous ICU or critical care admissions including need for ventilation
Asthma history taking can be very long and detailed, but in this acute setting it is wise to ask these direct questions which will help guide need for critical care referral
