Professionals must rethink their role if they are to guide patients successfully

Papers p 1507

Equipping people with asthma with the tools they need to manage their condition is as important as writing the correct prescription,” according to the United Kingdom's National Asthma campaign. Guided self management has an established place in asthma guidelines and recommendations.1-2 Yet the reality of everyday asthma care is quite different from that which the guidelines suggest, as shown by Jones et al in this issue (p 1507).3 Even among general practitioners in an academic setting, asthma remains underdiagnosed and poorly treated,4 despite increased awareness of the condition. Professionals perceive asthma as a lifelong problem, but patients discontinue treatment after a few years or do not consult health professionals at all.5

General practitioners and nurses have an important role in implementing self care programmes. However, Jones et al report that patient self management …