supported self management of asthma
Self management of asthma concentrate on the medical aspects of living with a variable condition and emphasise the importance of recognising and acting on symptoms and signs of deterioration
All people with asthma (and/or their parents or carers) should be offered self management education which should include a written personalised asthma action plan and be supported by regular professional review. This will:
- reduces emergency use of healthcare resources, including emergency department (ED) visits, hospital admissions and unscheduled consultations
- improves markers of asthma control, including reduced symptoms and days off work, and improves quality of life
Components of a self management programme include:
- patient education
- personalised asthma action plans (PAAPs)
- specific advice about recognising loss of asthma control, assessed by symptoms or peak flows or both.
- in adults - written personalised asthma action plans may be based on symptoms and/or peak flows:
- in children - symptom-based written plans are effective in reducing emergency consultations for asthma, although (in older children) peak flow-based plans may be as effective for other outcomes
- actions, summarised as two or three action points, to take if asthma deteriorates, including seeking emergency help, starting oral steroids (which may include provision of an emergency course of steroid tablets), restarting or temporarily increasing fourfold (as opposed to just doubling) ICS, as appropriate to clinical severity (1)
In primary care, self-management education, supported by a written personalised asthma action plan, should be offered to all patients on general practice ‘active asthma’ registers (1).
Reference:
- (1) British Thoracic Society (BTS)/Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 2019. British Guideline on the Management of Asthma. A national clinical guideline