Stephanie Bork, M.S.N., APRN, FNP-BC, a clinical instructor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, was recently featured on the Association of Pulmonary Advanced Practice Providers (APAPP) podcast. Bork joined APAPP Asthma Committee Chair Jennifer Weber, M.S.N., APRN, FNP-BC, and fellow committee member Melissa Dolbec, FNP-C, in a wide-ranging, evidence-based discussion on the latest developments in asthma management. Topics included diagnostic challenges, advancements in treatment protocols such as Single Maintenance and Reliever Therapy (SMART), and the critical importance of aligning care with the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines.

The conversation also highlighted the ongoing difficulties in patient education, the need for greater provider vigilance, and the issue of “underperceivers”—patients who underreport or misinterpret their symptoms—which can significantly hinder effective asthma management.

“Symptoms and asthma are really just the tip of the iceberg. Most recently, we've seen a large paradigm shift in asthma management,” Bork said on the podcast. “Once we understand what we're attempting to target—which is really not just hyperresponsiveness and symptoms—but the driving force: inflammation.”