Self-Management Strategies for Asthma Control
Summary
Self-management in asthma encompasses a suite of patient-centred strategies designed to achieve and maintain optimal control of symptoms, prevent exacerbations and reduce reliance on unscheduled healthcare. Central to this approach is the development of a personalised asthma action plan, which sets out clear instructions for daily medication use, recognition of worsening symptoms and stepped treatment adjustments. Core components include regular monitoring of symptoms or peak expiratory flow, adherence to controller therapies—most notably inhaled corticosteroids—and timely use of reliever medications. Supported self-management integrates structured education, collaborative partnerships between patients and healthcare professionals, and systematic review within a long-term condition framework. This model has been shown to decrease hospital admissions and emergency visits, improve health-related quality of life and is applicable across age groups, cultural contexts and healthcare settings. Recent innovations incorporate digital health tools and remote consulting to overcome barriers of access and adherence, while system-level integration ensures that self-management is embedded within routine primary care workflows.
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Self-Management Strategies for Asthma Control publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in self-management strategies for asthma control across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Self-management: Active patient participation in monitoring and adjusting asthma treatment according to a predefined plan.
Asthma action plan: A personalised, written set of instructions detailing medication adjustments in response to symptom changes or peak flow readings.
Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS): Anti-inflammatory medications administered via inhaler to maintain long-term control and prevent exacerbations.
Clinical decision support system (CDSS): Computer-based software that provides real-time, guideline-based prompts to clinicians during patient consultations.
References
- The feasibility and impact of implementing a computer-guided consultation to target health inequality in Asthma. npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine (2023).
- Improving primary care management of asthma: do we know what really works?. npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine (2020).
- Systematic meta-review of supported self-management for asthma: a healthcare perspective. BMC Medicine (2017).
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