Diverse views on asthma treatment, management, and care

The primary care physician is responsible for most of the asthma management and treatment in the United States.

• Only 21% of adults and adolescents with asthma (≥12 years of age, from survey of current asthma patients) report that an allergist or pulmonologist is the doctor that they usually see for their asthma as a primary source of care
• Another 14% of asthma patients report that they see a specialist who is not their primary care physician about their asthma at least once a year
• Most asthma patients surveyed, however, either never see a specialist about their asthma (48%) or only if problems develop (15%)

Use of medicines also revealed a wide range of beliefs.

• Seven out of ten adults and adolescents with asthma (≥12 years of age, from survey of current asthma patients) (71%) report that they have taken some type of medicine for their asthma in the past 4 weeks
• Only a relatively small portion of asthma patients (8%) are taking over-the-counter medicines for quick relief for their asthma. Less than half of asthma patients (45%) report taking prescription quick relief or rescue medicine for their asthma in the past 4 weeks
• About the same proportion (46%) reported taking prescription medicines for the long-term maintenance of their asthma in the past 4 weeks

Of all the adult and adolescent patients (≥12 years of age, from survey of current asthma patients) who reported using prescription medicine for long-term maintenance of their asthma:

• A very large segment (42%) reported that they had stopped taking their asthma maintenance medicine for a week or longer in the past year
• Nearly one quarter (23%) of those who reported using prescription medicine for long-term maintenance of their asthma, reported that they have stopped taking this medication for a week or longer in the past year and that their most recent interruption lasted for a month or longer

Patient perceptions about what constitutes well-managed asthma reveals a serious communication gap about asthma management that could undermine optimal asthma treatment. The majority of asthma patients (≥12 years of age, from survey of current asthma patients) agree that they could consider their asthma as well managed if:

• Their asthma bothers them less than half the time when they exercise (64%);
• They have 2 months or longer between exacerbations (64%);
• They have exacerbations only 3 or 4 times a year (63%); and
• They have only 1 emergency room visit for asthma per year (61%)

As expected, physicians generally tend to have higher standards than patients for what is considered well-managed asthma.

• Only a relatively small portion of family practitioners (26%), internists (30%), pulmonologists (20%), and allergists (20%) agree that asthma is well managed if asthma bothers the patient less than half of the time when exercising
• Almost half of family practitioners (49%) and 40% of internists, as well as a minority of pulmonologists (19%) and allergists (21%), feel that asthma is well managed if the patient only has exacerbations 3 or 4 times a year
• Only a minority of family practitioners (42%), internists (42%), pulmonologists (30%), and allergists (20%) feel that asthma is well managed if there is only 1 emergency room visit for asthma per year

Reference Slides

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