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Asthma Priority Setting Partnership
Research priorities in Asthma
At a Medicine and Me meeting on Asthma at the Royal Society of Medicine in August 2004, Professor Stephen Holgate (AIR Division, Southampton General Hospital and member of the British Thoracic Society) and Philippa Major (then Assistant Research Director Asthma UK) expressed enthusiasm to Dr John Scadding (Dean RSM and co-convener of the James Lind Alliance) about establishing a James Lind Alliance (JLA) Working Partnership in Asthma.
Following a series of meetings, plans were drawn up to populate the Database of Effects of Uncertainties of Treatments (DUETs) with Asthma Treatment Uncertainties, and then develop methods for prioritising these uncertainties into a short list of 20 – 30. The final step would be a workshop at which members of Asthma UK and the British Thoracic Society (BTS) would agree their top ten shared priorities from the short list. The full workshop report can be accessed here [PDF 379kb]. The top 10 asthma treatment uncertainties, agreed by patients, carers and clinicians, are as follows:
1a. What are the adverse effects associated with long term use of short and long actingbronchodilators; inhaled and oral steroids; and combination and additive therapies in adults? (N.B this includes children aged 12 years old and over)
1b. What are the adverse effects associated with long term use of short and long acting bronchodilators; inhaled and oral steroids; and combination and additive therapies in children?
2. What is the most effective way of managing asthma with other health problems?
3. What are the key components of successful "Self Management" for a person with asthma?
4. What is the most effective strategy to educate people with asthma and health professionals about managing the adverse effects of drug therapies?
5. What is the most effective way of managing asthma triggers?
6. What is the role of complementary therapies in asthma management?
7. What are the benefits of breathing exercises as a form of physical therapy for asthma?
8. What type of patient (children and adults) and health professional education is most effective in gaining asthma control?
9. What is the most effective way to manage consultations and asthma control in adolescence and young people?
10. Psychological interventions for adults with asthma?
Background documents
Description of a workshop to set priorities for treatment uncertainty research in Asthma, March 2007. click here [PDF 397 kb]
Observation report of the Asthma Workshop produced by Ruth Stewart, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London. click here [PDF 484 kb]
JLA Priority setting approaches to see paper (click here PDF 178kb)
Research activity following Asthma Treatment Uncertainty Priority Setting Exercise in 2007
Glossary of terms (PDF}
Patient Power
In the first of a series of three articles exploring the growing enthusiasm for patients getting involved in saying how the medical world could work better for them, Sophie Petit-Zeman follows a group of doctors and asthma patients seeking to agree on research priorities. To see the full article click on the link below.
http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,,2082971,00.html
Elwyn G et al. Identifying and prioritizing uncertainties: patient and clinician engagement in the identification of research questions.
J Eval Clin Pract. 2010 May 5. article (PDF)
Asthma UK is a charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the 5.2 million people in the UK who have asthma. They work with people with asthma, healthcare professionals and researchers to develop and share expertise to help people increase their understanding and reduce the effect of asthma on their lives.
The BTS aims to improve the care of people with respiratory disease:- improvements in standards of care; education, training and research; advancement of public education and health promotion.