All people with asthma should have an asthma action plan (also called a management or a treatment plan), a written plan developed with health providers to help control asthma. The asthma action plan shows the daily treatment, that is, what kind of medicines to take and when to take them. It also describes how to control asthma long term AND how to handle worsening asthma symptoms. Finally, the plan explains when to call the doctor or go to the emergency room.

Asthma action plans are an essential part of effective asthma management and should be provided to all clients with asthma regardless of age and asthma severity. Health providers must adhere to asthma national guidelines and develop a simple and personalized asthma action plan with their patients that must be reviewed at least once a year. The asthma action plan gives instructions about how to recognize and respond to worsening asthma symptoms, actions to take, and when to seek health care. Since 2006, the percent of CT residents with an AAP has been lower than 37% except in 2011 when it reached 39.6%.  The most recent 2019 data shows that 28.2% of CT residents with asthma have received an AAP from health provider. The target value has been set at 40% for this indicator.

*Data from 2006-2010 should not be compared to 2011-present due to a weighting change in 2011 for BRFSS.

These data are current as of February 2023. New data are expected by fall of 2023.

Connecticut State Department of Education, Connecticut School Nurses Association, local public health departments, health professional associations, health care providers, community health centers, school-based health centers.

The NAEPP EPR-3 Guidelines recommend that clinicians must provide to all patients who have asthma a written asthma action plan that includes instructions for:

• daily management
• recognition and handling of worsening asthma, including adjustment of dose of medications
• when to seek health care

• Communicate and educate on the burden of asthma to multiple audiences and through different modalities
• Develop community outreach and education messages about ways to control asthma
• Work with community partners, to implement home-based interventions to identify and remove environmental triggers and provide self-management education.
• Improve asthma control among Connecticut Residents through community education and outreach.
• Offer asthma education resources translated in Spanish
• Promote the use of asthma action plans as a tool to facilitate evidence-based treatment and empower residents to take control of their disease.
• Make Asthma Action Plans available in English and Spanish combined with the Medication Authorization Form for use in schools