Guidelines call for action on asthma

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The British Guideline on the MAnagement of Asthma, has been published by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and the British Thoracic Society (BTS).

The guideline contains a new section on difficult asthma, which occurs when a patient diagnosed with asthma continues to have symptoms and exacerbations despite using high-dose asthma therapy.

This new section emphasises the importance of accurate diagnosis in this group of patients where it is often necessary to separate out several co-morbidities.

Greater use of written personalised action plans is also recommended to improve health outcomes. The evidence for using these plans is particularly good for those in secondary care with moderate to severe asthma. Asthma UK produce a an asthma action plan.