Asthma Control and Medication Reliance Among Asthmatics in a General Practice Setting - A Questionnaire Based Study

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• General Practice
• Public Health

Background:

• Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition requiring ongoing management to prevent severe complications.
• Effective asthma control is crucial for maintaining patient quality of life and reducing healthcare burden.
• General practice settings play a vital role in the primary management of asthma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the level of asthma control in patients with intermittent and mild persistent asthma in a New Zealand primary care setting.
• To evaluate patient reliance on short-acting beta agonist (SABA) reliever inhalers.
• To explore the relationship between asthma control and SABA reliance.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire-based audit study was conducted in a New Zealand primary health care setting.
• Participants included 43 patients aged 15+ with physician-diagnosed intermittent or mild persistent asthma.
• The Asthma Control Test (ACT) and SABA Reliance Questionnaire (SRQ) were administered to assess control and SABA dependency.

Main Results:

• Overall, 53.5% of patients had well-controlled asthma, 34.9% partially controlled, and 11.6% uncontrolled.
• A significant majority (72.1%) of patients reported high reliance on SABA medication.
• Even among patients with well-controlled asthma, 56.5% exhibited high SABA reliance, and 93.3% of those with partially controlled asthma were highly reliant on SABA.

Conclusions:

• Intermittent and mild persistent asthma are frequently inadequately controlled within general practice.
• High reliance on SABA inhalers is common, even in patients with seemingly controlled asthma.
• Findings suggest a need for enhanced asthma management protocols and patient education in primary care settings.