ASTHMA patients are not getting the treatment they need says a Warwick-based charity.
Education for Health – which has been training doctors and nurses in long term conditions including asthma since 1987 – welcomed this week’s National Review of Asthma Deaths report Why Asthma Still Kills which highlighted the importance of education.
The report, released on World Asthma Day, said better education was needed for doctors, nurses, patients and carers to make them aware of the risks.
It continued they needed to be able to recognise the warning signs of poor asthma control and know what to do during an attack – adding all patients needed to have a ‘personal asthma action plan’ which could help them identify if their asthma was worsening and tell them how to get help.
Education for Health chief executive Monica Fletcher said she hoped the review would raise awareness of the issue in the healthcare profession.
Monica, who lives in Warwick and was recently awarded an OBE for her services to nursing and nurse education, said:
“The results of this review should serve as a wake up call for everyone involved in providing care to patients with asthma and their families.
“Despite advances in medical treatments and an expansion in the number of inhaler devices, we are still not getting things right. We need to get back to basics through the provision of high quality education to healthcare professionals and patients alike, and to concentrate more on our understanding of ‘asthma control’.”
One in 11 children and one in 12 adults in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma – meaning asthma affects one in five households.
Visit www.educationforhealth.org for further details.
