Abstract
Background:
Recent clinical trials suggest that intermittent use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is safe for mild persistent asthma. Intermittent ICS use is inconsistent with current guidelines but is a common form of non-compliance. The aim of this study was to investigate how asthma nurses advise patients to use ICS.
Methods:
Practice managers of 241 GP surgeries in the southwest of England were sent questionnaires to distribute to practice nurses.
Results:
Questionnaires were returned by 105 nurses (104 had asthma-specific training). There was a wide variation in attitudes to guideline-based care and advice given to patients. 97% indicated that they sometimes advised patients to decrease their ICS use, 85% sometimes advised patients to stop their ICS when their asthma was well controlled, and 70% reported sometimes advising intermittent use.
Conclusion:
Asthma nurse recommendations are often inconsistent with guidelines. There is considerable variation between different asthma nurses in the advice given to patients.
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Competing interests
All authors are members of the East Devon Respiratory Research Group whose annual dinner is funded by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). DH has received sponsorship to attend international meetings, and honoraria for lecturing, attending advisory boards and preparing educational materials, from Altana, AstraZeneca, GSK, Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim.
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Hyland, M., Blake, S., Greaves, C. et al. Guidelines versus practice: UK asthma nurses often recommend intermittent, symptom-driven use of inhaled corticosteroids. Prim Care Respir J 18, 114–117 (2009). https://doi.org/10.3132/pcrj.2008.00066
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3132/pcrj.2008.00066