What is it?
The Peak Flow Monitor healthReader is an online asthma management tool.
What is the aim of this tool?
This tool offers asthma sufferers a reliable and simple way to monitor their peak expiratory flow (PEF), and hence provides a convenient way of managing their asthma. Therefore you can graphically chart the success of your asthma care plan.
Why use such a resource?
Peak flow meters allow patients to monitor their asthma - Peak Flow (or PEF - peak expiratory flow) is a measurement of how fast you can blow out and is ultimately a measure of lung function. When someone is well, their PEF is higher - when the airways are narrow (as in asthma), PEF is lower. By recording this information, a patient can help their Doctor decide the best course of treatment. The HealthReader concept allows users to input their readings into the application. A printout can then made and presented to the GP. This will allow the doctor to graphically monitor the patient's condition and also see how medication is helping. Many patients are being given peak flow meters to take home, or are acquiring them themselves, and the British Thoracic Society has recommended the use of home recordings for good asthma management.
The peak flow meter readings and graphical representation of these readings can also be used to help you and your doctor:
- Decide if your medicine plan is working well.
- Decide when to add or stop medicine.
- Decide when to seek emergency care.
- Identify triggers that is, what causes your asthma symptoms to increase.
- Talk about your asthma with more knowledge.
How to use the Peak Flow Meter:
- Place the indicator at the base of the numbered scale.
- Stand up.
- Take a deep breath.
- Place the meter in your mouth and close your lips around the mouthpiece. Do not put your tongue inside the hole.
- Blow out as hard and fast as you can.
- Write down the number you get.
- Repeat the steps through two more times.
IMPORTANT: If you suspect that you may have asthma, it is important to see your doctor. Your doctor will discuss your medical history and your current symptoms.
