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Abstract
This case study is based on real events that the author experienced with her 10-year-old daughter. Although the names have been changed, all of the events (symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, types of healthcare professionals) are recorded exactly as they occurred. Both asthma and pneumonia are common in the United States (and globally). Many of the drugs described in the case study are frequently prescribed for a wide variety of ailments. The four “episodes” that constitute the case cover (1) a study of asthma triggers, incidence, and treatment; (2) side effects and possible medication errors associated with steroids; (3) causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia; and (4) the mechanism of action of two different antibiotics. The “epilogue” explores a few larger themes related to healthcare and public health (e.g., continuity of care, drug resistance, asthma prevention programs). The case could be used in an undergraduate, upper-level infectious disease, microbiology, public health, or physiology course or in a graduate-level health professions program.