PEAK: Asthma What Families Should Know About Emergency Care for a Child with Asthma
- EMSC Innovation & Improvement Center
- 5 minutes

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood and a leading cause of pediatric ED visits, hospitalizations, and missed school days in the United States. It affects nearly 6% of U.S. children and accounts for more than 790,000 ED visits annually (Aguilar et al., 2024). Despite the availability of effective treatments, delays in recognition, inconsistent management, and delayed intervention continue to contribute to preventable morbidity.
PEAK Asthma supports ED and EMS clinicians in delivering evidence-based pediatric asthma care through practical guidance, clinical algorithms, and educational resources focused on early recognition, timely intervention, standardized management, and family-centered care.
Last updated: June 4, 2026
Family-centered educational resource designed to help caregivers recognize asthma flare-ups, understand emergency department care and treatments, use medications correctly, follow an asthma action plan, identify warning signs, avoid triggers, and support safe asthma management at home.
Provides individualized instructions to help patients and families recognize worsening asthma symptoms, manage medications, and know when to seek medical care.