TY - JOUR T1 - Using community pharmacy to identify patients at risk of poor asthma control and potential contributory factors JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 38 IS - Suppl 55 SP - p4620 AU - Helen Reddel AU - Kate LeMay AU - Bandana Saini AU - Sinthia Bosnic-Anticevich AU - Lorraine Smith AU - Deborah Burton AU - Jun Ju Christine Song AU - M. Chehani Alles AU - Kay Stewart AU - Lynne Emmerton AU - Ines Krass AU - Carol Armour Y1 - 2011/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p4620.abstract N2 - Aim: To describe a population identified by trained community pharmacists as being at risk for poor asthma outcomes, and to identify factors associated with poor asthma control.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 96 metropolitan and regional Australian pharmacies. Community pharmacists with specialised asthma training enrolled 570 patients aged ≥18 years with doctor-diagnosed asthma who were considered at risk based on suboptimal asthma control or lack of recent GP asthma review, and conducted a comprehensive asthma assessment. Assessment of asthma control was based on self-reported frequency of symptoms and activity limitation during the previous month. Asthma history, spirometry and inhaler technique were documented. Medication use was recorded from pharmacy records and self-report.Results: 570 patients were recruited, of whom 437 (77%) had poor asthma control. 21% smoked, 28% had an action plan, 69% used combination inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) medications, and only 17-28% used their inhaler correctly. In terms of adherence, 90% had their ICS or ICS/LABA dispensed <6 times in the previous 6 months, which is inconsistent with regular use. A logistic regression model showed that patients who smoked, had incorrect inhaler technique or low adherence were more likely to have poor control.Conclusions: Community pharmacists identified patients with asthma at risk of suboptimal control, and factors that contribute to this were identified. There is an opportunity within pharmacies to target poorly-controlled asthma and provide timely and tailored interventions. ER -