“Tossing a coin:” defining the excessive use of short-acting beta2-agonists in asthma—the views of general practitioners and asthma experts in primary and secondary care

Journal article

The National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) identified high prescribing of short-acting beta₂-agonists (SABAs) as a key factor in over 40% of deaths. We interviewed asthma experts from both a hospital background (n = 5) and a primary care background (n = 8), and general practitioners delivering asthma care (n = 8), to identify how SABA use is defined and perceived. We identified disparity in how acceptable SABA use is defined, ranging from 0.5 (100 doses/year) to 12 SABA inhalers (2400 doses/year), and complacency in the perception that over-use did not represent a marker for risk of asthma death. Despite current evidence, these findings suggest clinicians of various backgrounds are complacent about excessive SABA use.

Authors: McKibben, S; Bush, A; Thomas, M; Griffiths, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Journal: npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 1-1
• Publication date: 2018-07-12
• DOI: 10.1038/s41533-018-0096-4
• EISSN: 2055-1010
• ISSN: 2055-1010
• Language: English
• Keywords: Secondary care; Family medicine; Intensive care medicine; Medicine; Alternative medicine; Nursing; Pediatrics; Medical prescription; Pathology; Asthma; Internal medicine; Primary care