What is the recommended action for a child experiencing an acute asthma exacerbation?

For a child experiencing an acute asthma exacerbation, providing a rescue inhaler with a bronchodilator is the recommended action. Rescue inhalers contain short-acting beta-agonists, which are essential for quickly relieving bronchospasm and improving airway flow during an asthma attack. These medications work by relaxing the muscles around the airways, allowing for easier breathing and providing immediate relief from symptoms like wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.

While deep breathing exercises can be beneficial for overall asthma management and control, they are not effective in the immediate management of an acute exacerbation. Oral steroids may be necessary for severe or prolonged exacerbations but are not typically the first-line treatment for immediate relief. Calling for hospitalization is appropriate in severe cases where the child's symptoms do not improve with standard treatment, but it is not the initial recommended action if a rescue inhaler is available and can be used effectively to address the acute symptoms. Thus, the immediate and most effective approach during an asthma attack is to utilize the rescue inhaler with a bronchodilator.