1. Asthma Management Briefing For Victorian Schools
It is recommended that schools undertake an Asthma Management Briefing annually, ideally the briefing should occur at the start of the year. In this briefing and the following areas need to be covered:
The identities of the students diagnosed with asthma and where their medication is located
The causes, signs & symptoms and treatment of asthma
Training for staff
Asthma Action Plans
The school’s first aid and emergency response procedures
Talk about your school’s Asthma Management Policy, what it details and where it can be located.
This briefing should be delivered by a staff member who holds a current anaphylaxis management certificate.
© Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016

2. © Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a long term condition of the lungs.
Asthma is a long term condition of the lungs effecting the small airways.
Three main factors which cause the airway to become narrow are:
Inflammation – the lining of each airway becomes inflamed and swollen
Extra mucus production – more than the usual amount of mucus is produced in each bronchiole, causing mucus plugs,
Muscle spasm – the muscle around the outside of the bronchiole constricts or tightens.
People with Asthma have airways that are sensitive to specific triggers.
© Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016

3. Signs and Symptoms Breathlessness Rapid breathing Difficulty talking
Wheezing
Tight chest
Persistent cough
Rapid breathing
Difficulty talking
Changes in behaviour
Distress & anxiety
Pale and sweaty
Sucking in of skin over chest & throat
Blue lips
‘Sore tummy’ in young children
The four most common indicators of asthma are shortness of breath, wheezing, tight chest and persistent cough. However, asthma signs and symptoms will vary from person to person and even from time to time for an individual. There is no such thing as a ‘normal’ asthma attack.
Shortness of Breath- this is due to the increased effort associated with moving air in and out of narrow airways. Breathing may become more rapid and shallow, and chest wall muscles and the diaphragm need to work harder and begin to tire. As well, some air becomes trapped in the alveoli and small bronchioles. This results in more air staying in the lungs (hyperinflation) and respiratory muscles function less effectively.
Wheezing- This is the classic symptom of asthma that everyone recognises. The wheeze is a high pitched whistling sound that occurs during breathing out, which is caused by turbulence of the air in the narrowed, constricted airways. Although wheezing is a common symptom, some people never wheeze, particularly older adults. Wheezing may also be absent in a severe acute asthma attack where there is virtually no air movement through the lungs due to severe obstruction.
Tight Chest – As more air becomes trapped in the lungs, the person experiences increasing chest tightness. Use of accessory muscles (neck, chest, shoulders) is evident and the lungs are unable to empty normally. This may be difficult to recognise in young children who may even complain of a sore tummy.
Cough- The typical asthma cough is a dry persistent cough often evident at night, particularly after a cold. Occasionally asthma causes a productive cough as the level of mucus builds up in the lungs. The night cough is an indication of worsening asthma and often causes sleep disturbance.
Other symptoms of asthma include:
Behaviour changes- these may include increasing restlessness, distress and anxiety or they may become quiet, listless and withdrawn.
Tiredness - this occurs from the increased effort required to breathe and may include difficulty coping with exercise or activity. Sleep disturbance due to asthma symptoms will also result in tiredness. Children who are exhausted by breathing may bob their head up and down which is a sign of severe respiratory distress.
Difficulty Speaking- The person will have difficulty breathing as air begins to be trapped behind mucus plugs in the lungs. This prevents the person from taking a full tidal breath and also from fully breathing out. This reduces the number of words able to be spoken as less air travels across the vocal cords and they are unable to vibrate. Speech patterns can be used to rate the severity of an asthma attack as discussed later. Grunting may be seen in infants in severe respiratory distress.
Blue lips- indicates lack of oxygen and a sign of a severe asthma attack,
Rapid Breathing- the brain signals the body to breath faster to get more oxygen to the tissues.
‘Sore tummy’ in young children- Children may describe the feeling of chest tightness in this way. Also, children rely on their diaphragm for breathing (tummy breathing) which rapidly moves up and down during an attack and becomes painful.
Signs and symptoms vary from person to person
© Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016

4. Our School (Insert name of School)
The children that have been diagnosed with asthma here are:
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Spend some time talking about your own school and the relevant plans that exist within your policy.
Show the staff photos of all the children with Asthma Action Plans at your school. Name the children in your school who have been diagnosed with Asthma.
Ensure all the child’s teachers are aware of his/her condition, where their medication is located and how to administer the asthma medication:
Who are they?
In what year level are they?
What are their triggers?
Who has responsibility for this child in their class, playground?
What risks are they exposed to at school?
What risks are they exposed to on special days at school E.g. swimming, sports days, special days
What risks are they exposed to on excursions this year?
What can we as a staff team do to support these children?
If they are also at risk of anaphylaxis.
Have a quick discussion about the risks this child is exposed to whilst at school and they ways to minimise the risks (for example if the trigger is smoke – take responsibility for ensuring that on high smoke days the student is kept indoors – that staff and visitors follow the DET’s policy of not smoking on the premises – all staff to be made aware of the location of the Asthma Emergency Kits and the guidelines for using them.
© Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016

5. Asthma Training – All Staff
The SPAG states all Victorian school staff working with a child diagnosed with asthma are required to undertake specific asthma training.
Asthma Training – All Staff
Option 1:
One hour face to face Education Session.
“Asthma first aid management for education staff”
Option 2:
Online Training Option.
“Asthma first aid management for education staff”
The SPAG states all Victorian school staff working with a child diagnosed with asthma are required to undertake specific asthma training. Even though asthma is covered in first aid first aid courses do not meet the requirements.
Option 1:
The Asthma First Aid Management for Education Staff, is funded through the Australian Government delivered by Asthma Foundation of Victoria, this is 1 hour asthma training package that can be delivered at the school.
The workshop will help staff to recognise the signs and symptoms of asthma, be trained in the national asthma first aid protocol and examine processes and policies to support quality asthma management at the site. This training remains current for 3 years.
Option 2
The Asthma first aid management for education staff is available to all schools free of charge. It can be delivered to schools as a one hour face to face session for as many staff needed or online.
The online course is comprised of three learning modules:
About Asthma
Asthma at School
Asthma First Aid
Each module will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Quiz questions and activities are incorporated within each module to check understanding of the information presented.
All three modules must be completed for staff to be issued with an Asthma First Aid certificate as a record of their compliance. The certificate is valid for three years.
If staff are unable to complete the entire package all at once, they can log out after completing a module and return to the package later. If they log out before completing a module, they will need to recommence at the start of the module when they log back in.
© Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016

6. Asthma Training – Key Staff
Nationally Accredited Training (every three years)
Takes three hours to complete
Accepted course codes ( 22282VIC and 10392NAT)
Staff with a direct student wellbeing responsibility such as nurses, first aid and camp organisers complete asthma management training; and
Staff working with high risk children with a history of severe asthma at school and high risk teaching areas, such as PE/Sports teachers, Home Economics/cooking teachers
Staff with a direct student wellbeing responsibility such as nurses, first aid and camp organisers complete asthma management training
Staff working with high risk children with a history of severe asthma at school and high risk teaching areas, such as PE/Sports teachers, Home Economics/cooking teachers
any further school staff that the principal identifies, based on an assessment of the risk of an asthma attack occurring while a student is under the care or supervision of the school.
Must undertake nationally accredited training in Emergency Asthma Management. There are two courses accepted:
22282VIC Course in Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies in the Workplace
10392NAT Course in Emergency Asthma Management
They are valid for three years and should take three hours to complete.
© Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016

7. © Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016
Provide an overview the Asthma Action Plan, highlighting the first aid procedure and that some students will need to take different doses of their medication.
© Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016

8. First Aid and Emergency Response
All staff need to know the school’s Asthma Policy and Emergency Procedures
The student’s Asthma Action Plan must be followed if responding to an asthma emergency
If the student has asthma and anaphylaxis provide anaphylaxis first aid followed by asthma first aid
Conduct a brief discussion concerning your School’s First Aid Policy. Include detail on:
which staff have their Apply First Aid qualification.
who needs to do a CPR Refresher?
how long before Asthma Training Certificates expire?
identifying who keeps training records and how they are maintained
Discuss the Emergency response at your school. Include detail on:
who rings the ambulance? (In some schools the Office Admin do it, in other schools it is the responsibility of the School Nurse. Discuss what is appropriate in your own school.)
what methods will be used to transfer information from one point of the school to another as quickly as possible? (suggestions include card system, walkie talkies, mobile phone)
are all the student’s emergency details up to date? who has this responsibility?
Explain that if a student has asthma and anaphylaxis. You must treat them for anaphylaxis first then follow the asthma first aid procedure. This is because some signs and symptoms of asthma are the same as anaphylaxis.
© Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016

9. On-going Support and Training Resources
Schools Policy Advisor Guide: Asthma Advice Line: Asthma Action Plans:
Published by the department of Education & Training Can be downloaded from Asthma Foundation of Victoria’s Website
© Asthma Foundation of Victoria 2016