Multidisciplinary Asthma Service

MDAS CLINIC

What is the MDAS clinic?

The Multidisciplinary Asthma Service (MDAS) Clinic is for those children whose asthma has a history of being more difficult to control, or for those who are on high levels of asthma treatment. This clinic will replace your usual Alder Hey asthma clinic until further notice.

During the MDAS clinic your child will be reviewed by the entire multidisciplinary team which includes;

Respiratory Consultants
Asthma Nurse Specialists
Respiratory Physiotherapist
Respiratory Pharmacist
Clinical Psychologist
Respiratory Physiologist

As there are a lot of professionals who wish to see you, you should expect to be in clinic for up to at least one hour. We understand this is a long appointment but it does reduce the need to come to the hospital multiple times to see the different team members.

What happens during the clinic?

On arrival at the clinic, after your child’s height and weight have been measured, we will then measure their lung function.
During the clinic you will have the opportunity to meet the Respiratory Pharmacist who will review your child’s medications and answer any questions you may have about the medical treatment of asthma.
You will meet the Respiratory Physiotherapy team who will assess your child’s breathing techniques as well as their fitness with some short exercise tests in clinic.
Your child will be reviewed jointly by one of the Respiratory Consultants and an Asthma Nurse Specialist (ANS). This could be a different Consultant and Asthma Nurse from who you usually see. Your child’s inhaler technique will be checked and an up to date appropriate asthma management plan provided. The ANS’s can act as a liaison for any problems with school and provide training to schools if required. They will also provide you with contact numbers and an email address should you need any advice or support.
During your appointment you will have the chance to meet the specialist Psychologist who will have a chat with you about how you and your child are feeling at the moment. She will be able to offer advice and discuss options of support if you are having any problems such as school stresses, anxiety or generally living with a chronic illness like asthma.
Please remember to bring any inhaler/spacer device/medication your child is currently using.
If anyone smokes in the household, we can test your child’s urine to assess exposure to tobacco.

We are keen to address the needs of young people attending our MDAS clinic and help provide them with the opportunity to develop increasing responsibility for their own asthma management.

Our aim is that by the time they are ready to leave Alder Hey to transfer to the adult service in their 17th year they will have developed independence and confidence in discussing asthma and any other health-related issues. For these reasons after their 14th birthday we will see them on their own for the first part of the consultation but we will always see their parent/carer as well before the end of the clinic.

Unlike other asthma clinic appointments, we may not come up with a plan straight away. We will discuss your child’s asthma management as a team and develop an agreed plan together. We hope that with a team approach, involving you and your child, we can achieve better control of their condition.