The UK has one of the highest mortality rates in Europe for asthma. According to the most recent Asthma UK survey, two-thirds of patients with asthma don’t receive even basic asthma care, which should include an inhaler technique check, an up-to-date personal asthma action plan (PAAP) and an annual asthma review. Sometimes pharmacy team members are the only healthcare professionals a person with asthma will see so it is important that any contact is used to check on the patient’s condition.

The main pharmacological treatments for managing asthma aim to reduce inflammation and increase bronchodilation. Inhalation remains the preferred route of administration due to the reduced side effect profile compared to systemic absorption. Bronchodilators – short-acting beta2 agonists (SABA) and long-acting beta2 agonists (LABA) – have a much faster onset of action when administered via inhalation. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), if administered regularly, will help keep inflammation down. 

Before any new drug treatment is initiated, adherence with existing therapies and inhaler technique should be checked and any identified triggers eliminated, for example exposure to tobacco smoke. If using preventer/controller medication, patients should be maintained on the lowest dose that controls their symptoms.

What is Asthma Right Care?

Asthma Right Care (ARC) is a global initiative led by the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG), which uses social movement approaches to create a sense of discomfort with current asthma management so that people change what they do. Social movements create change through ‘followers’ – examples include campaigns like ‘hello my name is…’ and ‘antibiotic guardians’ that are prominent
in pharmacy. 

ARC wants to create a sense of discomfort around SABA – like antibiotics – and create ‘SABA guardians’. The IPCRG believes the initiative is needed because there is not much noise about the need for change, despite changes in national and international asthma management guidelines.