Diagnosing and treating asthma in primary care

The Primary Care Respiratory Society has produced resources for primary care nurses to support them in delivering better care to patients with asthma. These include opinion sheets, which are aimed at providing practical guidance on all aspects of diagnosing and managing asthma in primary care, from diagnosis of childhood asthma to personal asthma action plans and spirometry. The resources also contain tools for nurses to improve diagnosis rates, as well as ensure that the medication prescribed is suitable for the patient's needs. The society has also published similar resources for nurses treating patients with COPD and to assist smoking cessation.