Shifting asthma management with Asthma Right Care communication tools

Abstract

1. Introduction

Currently, 60% of patients with asthma do not receive basic care and up to 70% of them take the wrong medication or have poor technique. Asthma Right Care is a global social movement led by the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) to achieve a real change in asthma care worldwide.

2. Aims

Finding solutions within the real-life context of health systems to improve asthma care adding value to interventions.

3. Methods

IPCRG set up a multi-national Delivery Team from four pilot countries – Canada, Portugal, Spain and the UK – including patients, pharmacists, GPs and nurses who helped to create several tools for different settings: primary care, community pharmacy and emergency care. Focused on going deeper in paradigm and behaviour shift, they designed and tested a three-language set of highly effective conversation starters on over-reliance on symptom relief, particularly using short-acting beta-2-agonists for asthma management.

4. Results

Three Asthma Right Care tools (https://www.ipcrg.org/asthma-right-care-key-resources) were created to promote conversations about SABA use between asthma patients and healthcare professionals as partners, making every contact count:

a) Question and challenge cards, which are useful for icebreakers, chats, discussion and social media.

b) Asthma SABA Slide rule, which determines how many puffs of SABA inhaler the patient is taking or how many the healthcare professional is prescribing.

c) Reliever Reliance Test, which allows patients to identify and change beliefs that drive them to SABA over-reliance.

5. Conclusions

Asthma Right Care tools differ from a standard education or communication campaign, challenging new ways to build up confidence and competence.