Question

A 36-year-old man with asthma has been treating his asthma with albuterol once or twice a week for the last few years. He reports that for the last month or so he has had to use it much more often—"not every day, but almost." The nurse practitioner should consider all of the following except:

Administering the Asthma Control Test questionnaire.
Spirometric assessment.
A complete symptom assessment.
Adding an inhaled long-acting beta2-agonist.

Answer 1

For a patient using albuterol almost daily, the appropriate management steps include the Asthma Control Test, spirometric assessment, and a symptom evaluation. Adding a long-acting beta2-agonist alone is not appropriate due to the necessity of a combination therapy with an inhaled corticosteroid.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse practitioner should consider all steps in managing asthma except for adding an inhaled long-acting beta2-agonist for a patient who has to use albuterol almost daily.

This is because long-acting beta2-agonists are not recommended for monotherapy in asthma and should always be used in combination with an inhaled corticosteroid. Therefore, administering the Asthma Control Test questionnaire, conducting a spirometric assessment, and a complete symptom assessment would be appropriate steps to evaluate and manage the patient's asthma which appears to be uncontrolled based on the increased frequency of rescue inhaler use. These measures help to assess the severity and control of asthma and determine whether step-up therapy is needed.