Quality Statement:
Individuals with asthma should receive appropriate medication and devices based on their age and current level of asthma control, including early initiation of regular inhaled anti-inflammatory therapy.
Please see Ontario Health’s Quality Statement on Asthma Medication.
LHF Tools:
Description: The Asthma Action Plan Yellow Zone Formulation Table is a tool developed for adults ages 16 years and older. It provides clinicians with best practice recommendations for how to adjust medication when a patient is experiencing worsening asthma.
Description: The Mild Asthma Decision Aid is a tool designed to engage patients with asthma and their care providers in discussions about current asthma treatment options. The tool helps them to reach a shared decision on treatment that is based on scientific evidence and each individual patient’s goals and preferences.
Description: The Lung Health Foundation’s Respiratory Medications for Inhalation Available in Canada categorizes respiratory medications for inhalation based upon availability, dose, device, dose counter features, and price. Relevant to Ontario-based clinicians, it also includes coverage through the Ontario Drug Benefit.
Description: The Lung Health Foundation’s Respiratory Medications Reference provides a comprehensive overview of various respiratory medications for clinicians. It offers information on drugs based upon purpose, minimum age, maximum daily dose, and other indicators.
External Tools:
Description: The CoP Sustainable Inhaler Initiative is a project that helps make providers more aware of the climate impact of inhalers and supports sustainable prescription of inhalers. This initiative offers a variety of resources that encourage suitable prescribing practices for inhalers, encourage environmentally preferable alternatives to MDIs, facilitate appropriate inhaler technique, and practice sustainable recovery and recycling of inhalers.
Description: An educational resource that provides patients with information on how to use and care for their inhaler. It provides information to assess asthma factors, the relationship of asthma to work, occupational asthma, and work-exacerbated asthma.
Description: Healthcare providers can use this decision aid to help people with asthma make informed decisions about their choice of inhaler in relation to its contribution to climate change. The information is consistent with the NICE guideline on asthma and the SIGN/BTS guideline on asthma and is based on the best available evidence.
Description: The eAMS engages patients with asthma to complete a pre-visit questionnaire through a web portal or app and processes this information to give providers guideline-based advice to optimize therapy, personalized to each individual patient, through easy-to-use prompts built into their electronic medical record system. The eAMS also creates a self-management asthma action plan, which patients can access through their app or web portal anytime, anywhere. This empowers patients to self-manage their asthma, improving their symptoms and helping them to avoid asthma flare-ups and urgent healthcare visits.
Description: The Adrenal Suppression in Pediatric Asthma tool is a resource that provides clinicians with information on adrenal suppression, with a focus on medication such as inhaled corticosteroids, screening and diagnosis, and prevention and recognition.
Description: The Initial Management of Pediatric Asthma in Emergent/Urgent Care Settings: Part Two publication is a document that outlines recommendations for the initial management of pediatric patients presenting to emergent/urgent care settings with acute asthma exacerbations. This guideline provides recommended actions based on the use of the Pediatric Respiratory Assessment Measure.