Asthma Risk Factors

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Introduction
There are a variety of risk factors that can affect flare ups in asthmatic patients. Smoking, specifically, is one of these factors that we can control. As a high risk factor for asthma, smoking aggravates the airways, ultimately leading to amplified breathing difficulties (Asthma Risk Factor, n.d.). The epithelial changes that occur in smokers versus nonsmokers is the leading cause of the flare ups. Because these characteristics are evident, smoking cessation is shown to reduce the occurrence of asthma flare ups (Broekema et al., 2009). Nurses play a significant role in educating patients in preventing triggers for asthma flare ups. Yet, little is known about the effect that smoking causes on these flare ups. Therefore, the purpose …show more content…

This article relates very well to clinical practice. The article provides evidence that patients who smoke have significant differences in terms of clinical and therapeutic effects compared to non-smokers. This is relevant because it is proving in the actual article that asthmatic patients who smoke have many more complications and a greater likelihood of asthma exacerbations. We would recommend the article in clinical practice because it has a specific purpose in dealing with exacerbations. Some limitations would include that this article did not have a very large sample size, so this can also be a future recommendation to improve it. A strength is that it was conducted in an actual Asthma Genome Research Center, carrying a greater prestige and validity. The research article by Kupczyk, et al., (2014) holds a level IV evidence, also known as a descriptive study. This study is relevant because it focuses on the smoking history of the participants. The clinical relativity is that health care providers can look at the history of the patients, and thus have a factual idea of the contributions to the frequent exacerbations. This study would be highly recommended to be used in clinical situations because a patient's history is a key indicator of their present status, therefore knowing their history of smoking may help with the treatment of exacerbations. Limitations of this study can include the small study size and …show more content…

The implementations urged in these three studies are very cost effective. In reality, these studies may even lower any expenses that are already in place. By narrowing the cause of asthma exacerbations, the health care provider can be more efficient in dealing with patients who have asthma. These recommendations should be integrated into clinical practice because these studies can help future clinical settings to be more efficient when dealing with asthma patients who smoke or have smoked, with little to no extra cost. Clinical settings will lose nothing by implementing the recommendations these studies suggest, but they will gain a greater insight into how to possibly prevent future episodes of

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