Name of the Procedure:

Asthma Control Assessment via ACT, C-ACT, ACQ, or ATAQ Score

Summary

This procedure involves evaluating the control level of a patient's asthma using one of the standardized assessment tools such as the Asthma Control Test (ACT), the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT), the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), or the Asthma Therapy Assessment Questionnaire (ATAQ). It helps to identify if asthma is well-managed or requires treatment adjustments.

Purpose

• Medical Conditions Addressed: Asthma that may not be well-controlled.
• Goals: To evaluate asthma control levels, guide treatment decisions, and improve overall patient management.

Indications

• Patients experiencing frequent asthma symptoms.
• Individuals with asthma who have had recent exacerbations.
• Patients who have relapsed after previous stable control.
• Criteria include frequent use of rescue inhalers, nighttime awakenings, and interference with daily activities.

Preparation

• No specific fasting or medication adjustment required.

• Patients should bring a list of current medications and recent asthma-related events.

  Procedure Description

  1. Patient Interview: Discuss symptoms, medication use, and recent asthma attacks.
  2. Assessment Tool Administration: Administer the selected asthma control tool (ACT, C-ACT, ACQ, or ATAQ).
  3. Score Calculation: Based on patient responses, calculate the score to determine asthma control status.
  4. Evaluation: Analyze the score to classify asthma control as well-controlled, not well-controlled, or very poorly controlled.

  Tools Used:

• Standardized questionnaires (ACT, C-ACT, ACQ, ATAQ).

  Anesthesia or Sedation: Not applicable.

Duration

The entire assessment typically takes about 15-30 minutes.

Setting

• Outpatient clinic.
• Primary care office or specialist (e.g., pulmonologist, allergist) consultation room.

Personnel

• Typically conducted by healthcare providers such as primary care physicians, pulmonologists, or trained nurses.

Risks and Complications

• Common Risks: None typically associated.
• Rare Risks: Misclassification due to patient misunderstandings or misreporting.

Benefits

• Expected Benefits: Better identification of asthma control level, targeted treatment adjustments, and improved asthma management.
• Realization Time: Immediate understanding of control status; benefits of treatment changes seen within weeks.

Recovery

• No recovery time needed.
• Follow-up appointments scheduled based on assessment results and treatment adjustments made.

Alternatives

• Direct clinical evaluation without standardized tools.

• Spirometry or lung function tests.

  Pros and Cons of Alternatives:

• Direct clinical evaluation provides immediate subjective feedback but may lack standardized accuracy.
• Spirometry gives objective lung function data but may not capture day-to-day symptom variability.

Patient Experience

• During Procedure: Filling out the questionnaire, with potential for discussing symptoms in detail.
• After Procedure: Understanding of asthma control status; no physical discomfort expected.
• Pain Management: Not applicable as the procedure is non-invasive.