At a glance

• Keep your written asthma action plan accessible and current.
• Monitor symptoms, night waking, activity and reliever use.
• Check inhaler and spacer technique at regular reviews.
• Use peak flow only if your clinician has included it in your plan.

Know your usual pattern

• Keep your regular and flare-up instructions together.
• Know where your reliever and spacer are and check expiry dates.
• Record symptoms and reliever use consistently when control changes.
• Identify the clinician-agreed signs that mean you should step up care or seek help.

If asthma is changing

• Follow the instructions in your written asthma action plan.
• Note increasing reliever use, waking at night or reduced activity.
• Arrange review after a flare-up or when symptoms are not returning to usual.
• Do not make unplanned long-term medicine changes based only on home observations.

When to book a GP review

• Symptoms, night waking or reliever use are increasing.
• Asthma is limiting usual activity, school, work or sleep.
• You have had a flare-up, urgent visit or course of oral corticosteroids.
• You do not have a current written asthma action plan.
• You are unsure how to use an inhaler, spacer or peak-flow meter.

Keep the plan current

• Bring your action plan, inhalers and spacer to review.
• Ask for technique to be checked and the plan updated after treatment changes.
• Replace damaged or expired equipment and medicines through the appropriate clinician or pharmacy pathway.

Emergency advice

Follow the emergency instructions in your asthma action plan. Call 000 if breathing is very difficult, symptoms are severe or rapidly worsening, the person cannot speak normally, lips appear blue, the person is drowsy or exhausted, or reliever treatment is not helping as expected.

Rochedale Family Practice is not an emergency service.