The International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) has initiated a global social movement to bring meaningful change in asthma management. The driving idea behind this initiative is a recognition that, while the current approach may feel sufficient to many, it falls short of optimal care. The IPCRG network sees clear evidence of avoidable harm and unnecessary costs in the current asthma management framework, which continue to impact lives and wellbeing.1 To counteract this, IPCRG’s “Asthma Right Care” aims to inspire a shift towards better care practices by reducing both overuse and underuse of effective treatments. This means moving beyond episodic symptom relief and acute responses to establish a chronic care model that adheres to international or national asthma guidelines, prioritizing the appropriate use of anti-inflammatory inhaled medications.
Recent updates from “Asthma Right Care” activities demonstrate how this movement has gained momentum worldwide. Key updates include:
- Spain: has been working over the last few years to integrate community pharmacy into asthma services. The community pharmacist is ideally placed to identify a red flag when a SABA is requested over the counter. They can take advantage at that “teachable moment” to initiate conversations about how too much SABA and too little anti-inflammatory treatment is not the right way to control symptoms and can cause harm and waste. Read more about it here.Â
- Portugal: Public engagement initiatives, such as “Caminhasma” (Walk with Asthma) and “Peddy Paper” (treasure hunts), areorganized to raise awareness. Additionally, an interactive digital “asthma escape room” game was developed to educate healthcare providers in an engaging manner.
- Argentina: The “Teach the Teacher” program expanded to multiple provinces, offering Tier 3 workshops to empower healthcare providers with enhanced asthma management skills.
- Brazil: A video series is being developed, featuring healthcare providers and patient representatives discussing the eight person-centred statements from the IPCRG’s strategy document, “What does good quality asthma care look like?”.
- United Kingdom: New resources, including the “My Peak Flow Diary,” were introduced alongside webinars, podcasts, animations, and online learning modules to support patient self-management.
- Greece: A publication in the European Journal of General Practice (EJGP) titled “Primary healthcare professionals’ perceptions, attitudes and ideas regarding asthma management in Greece: a mixed-method study” highlights challenges in implementing asthma guidelines and the role of “Asthma Right Care” interventions in addressing these barriers.2
- North Macedonia: Presentations to the World Health Organization (WHO) showcased the value of Asthma Right Care to improve care in rural settlements. They have run multiple workshops for GPs and pharmacists.
Through Asthma Right Care, IPCRG is actively working to close gaps in care and improve patient outcomes worldwide.
Read more about the latest updates from https://www.ipcrg.org/asthma-right-care-news
More information about IPCRG can be found here.
References:Â
- Williams S, Correia de Sousa J, Khoo EM, et al. How to make Asthma Right Care ‘easy’ in primary care: learnings from the 2023 Asthma Right Care Summit. NPJ Prim Care Respir Med. 2024;34(1):4. DOI: 10.1038/s41533-024-00366-x
- Bouloukaki I, Spanias C, Ierodiakonou D, et al. Primary healthcare professionals’ perceptions, attitudes and ideas regarding asthma management in Greece: A mixed-method study. European Journal of General Practice (EJGP). 2024;30(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2024.2418301
Disclosures: This article was created by touchRESPIRATORY. No fees or funding were associated with the publication of this short article.
