The National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) came out a decade ago, yet as a nation, we still have the highest asthma death rate in Europe - four times that of Italy or the Netherlands. This is unsurprising, considering many patients still rely on their blue inhalers alone.

On the 28th November the joint National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), British Thoracic Society (BTS) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) will publish their long-awaited single guideline on asthma diagnosis, monitoring and management.

This is a high-level summary of what the new BTS/NICE/SIGN Asthma: diagnosis monitoring and chronic asthma management guideline means for you as a primary healthcare professional and what steps you need to take to implement it effectively. 

It is not a tick box template – all consultations with patients should be approached holistically and tailored specifically to the patient’s needs, requirements and other co-morbidities and situations.

Asthma Guidelines in Practice – A PCRS Consensus is a practical and pragmatic guide for healthcare professionals working in primary and intermediate care.  This guide was commissioned to provide clarity on aspects of diagnosis, management and monitoring of asthma that are uncertain

This year’s conference was a resounding success, cementing its place as a highlight in the PCRS calendar.

The Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) advocates that:

A study published in The Lancet shows that, in 2022, more than 1 billion people in the world are living with obesity. The relationship between obesity and respiratory health is complex, involving mechanical, inflammatory, and metabolic factors.

Breathlessness is a common presenting symptom in primary care, and there are many causes.Early and accurate diagnosis is critical to ensuring patients receive the right treatment at the earliest opportunity.

Inhalation is the main route for administration of drugs for conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The advantage of administering drugs by inhaler is that drugs are delivered directly to the site of action within the airways.

Knowing how to use Very Brief Advice to instigate a quit attempt and supporting smokers who are ready to quit is the business of every healthcare professional.Treating tobacco dependency systematically and effectively will have a significant impact on the triple aim:

In this article, Katherine discusses how small changes can have big impacts on creating new habits and supporting health.

In February 2020, the Institute of Health Equity published its landmark report, Marmot Review 10 Years On. It highlighted that for the first time in 100 years, life expectancy has failed to increase across the country, and for the poorest 10% of women it has actually declined.

This article explores the impact of the environment on the health of people with asthma and COPD and focuses on two key areas, indoor (home) and outdoor pollutants and severe weather extremes such as heat waves or very cold weather