Unsatisfactory asthma control: Astonishing evidence from general practitioners and respiratory medicine specialists

Background: the aim of asthma therapy is to achieve and maintain disease control. clinicians' behavior is crucial in terms of prescribing the best possible treatment,carrying out appropriate follow-up,and ensuring adherence to treatment. although clinical trials have demonstrated that asthma control is an achievable goal,real-life data show that this objective is still far from being reached. objective: to investigate physician-related factors that can infl uence successful asthma management. methods: in 2008,811 general practitioners (gps) and 230 respiratory medicine specialists attending a continuous medical education program completed a questionnaire prior to beginning the course on aspects related to asthma pathogenesis and control,applicability of research and guidelines in daily practice,and doctor-patient relations. results: the level of knowledge among gps and specialists regarding the use of control tools was not optimal,with the asthma control test used by 20.15% of gps and 42.92% of specialists. the respondents were also largely unable to correctly identify level of asthma control,with approximately just 20% providing correct answers. although chronic infl ammation was considered the main feature of asthma by more than 90% of the 2 groups,they inexplicably believed that up to 40% of patients might not require long-term treatment. both gps and specialists preferred a continuous fi xed-dose regimen (57.69% and 54.21%,respectively) and did not tend to favor self-management plans,believing that these were only feasible in a very small percentage of patients. conclusion: our findings provide one possible explanation of why asthma control levels are currently unsatisfactory in real life. © 2010 esmon publicidad.