Abstract
Method:
The notes of 239 asthma patients aged 10 years or more were reviewed to determine their treatment step. Step zero was defined to cover patients for whom no asthma treatment had been prescribed for at least two years; these patients were reviewed again after one year.
Results:
199 patients had received asthma treatment within the last two years. Of these, 40.6% were on step one, 29.7% were on step two, 8.0% were on step three and 5.0% were on step four, with none on step five. The remaining 40 asthma patients (16.7% of the total) were on step zero; one year later, seven of these were receiving asthma treatment.
Conclusion:
It is proposed that in addition to the steps defined in the BTS guidelines, a new step (step zero) should be introduced to cover asthmatic patients who have received no treatment for two years. These patients should be followed up, as they are still at risk of experiencing asthma symptoms.
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Waring, N. Use of new asthma BTM steps in one general practice — should asthmatics no longer on treatment be followed-up?. Prim Care Respir J 5, 28 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/pcrj.1997.23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pcrj.1997.23