Before you begin, have you completed the first module in this series about asthma?
Part one: Understanding asthma

The aim of asthma treatment is to control a person’s asthma, meaning they are completely free of symptoms, whilst taking the lowest dose of medicines. As asthma varies between individuals, healthcare professionals need to work collaboratively with patients so they get the most out of their treatment. Self-management is an important aspect of asthma care, alongside pharmacological treatment.

Asthma affects many aspects of life and supporting people to self-manage can improve their health outcomes. A key part of this is a personalised asthma action plan (PAAP). In order to be effective, this should be created in partnership with the patient and include the following:

Part of a PAAP for an adult with asthma may be to increase the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose for seven days when their asthma deteriorates. NICE recommends quadrupling the regular ICS dose for people who are using an ICS in a single inhaler, although the maximum licensed dose should not be exceeded.