2nd May 2023
The role of education in asthma care
To mark World Asthma Day 2023, Preeti Minhas, Assistant Director Clinical Learning, explores the role of education in asthma care. In the below blog post, Preeti considers the current state of play of asthma care, initiatives being put in place and how education and training can lead to improved health outcomes.
World Asthma Day 2023
The theme for World Asthma Day 2023 is ‘Asthma care for All’. The theme highlights the need to further develop effective asthma care globally. The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), who organise World Asthma Day each year, highlights inequalities in today’s asthma care. GINA emphasises that poorer communities often experience higher levels of morbidity and mortality. Through this year’s campaign, GINA aims to encourage the development and implementation of effective asthma management programmes globally.
Asthma care today
Asthma statistics show us:
- An estimated 262 million people were affected by asthma in 2019, and 455,000 deaths globally were linked to asthma;
- In the UK, over 8 million people, or approximately 12% of the population, have been diagnosed with asthma;
- Asthma accounts for 2-3% of primary care consultations, 60,000 hospital admissions, and 200,000 bed days per year in the UK;
- The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2022 report highlighted that over 80% of patients cannot use their inhaler correctly.
What’s more, the coronavirus pandemic shone a light on the health inequalities in the UK. Asthma+ and Lung UK recently documented that people living in the poorest communities are currently seven times more likely to die from a lung condition. To bridge this gap there are a number of initiatives being put in place, including the government’s levelling up project, which set out ambitions to improve the health and living standards for everybody in the UK by 2030.
Making a difference
So, what can we do to help bridge this gap? We know that the performance of any healthcare system is ultimately dependent upon its people (as outlined by the NHS long term plan). If we are to deliver positive outcomes for people living with asthma, then we need to ensure that we have the correct knowledge and skills to deliver an effective person-centred asthma consultation.
At Education for Health, we’re committed to providing healthcare professionals with knowledge and know-how. This enables you to make a positive difference for those living with respiratory conditions, alongside complying with continual professional development requirements. So, whether you’re a GP, nurse, clinical pharmacist, or other allied healthcare professional, take some time to identify any knowledge gaps that you may have. Then take a look at our course portfolio to identify a course that is the correct level to enable you to bridge this gap. Together we can make a difference to the lives of people living with asthma.
For example, some healthcare professionals who are new to asthma care, undertake one of our higher education accredited courses – our diploma level, Foundations of Managing Asthma course. Others may simply need to refresh their knowledge through short bite-sized learning, such as our Asthma Refresher workshop.
Whatever path you chose to develop yourself, continual professional development is key and will enable us to take one step closer in bridging the health inequality gap that we see in asthma care today.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING:
We provide education and training courses for health and care professionals. This includes CPD accredited bite size training, alongside higher education courses accredited by the University of Hertfordshire.
View our asthma course portfolio to find out more and find the right course for you. Alternatively, if you are looking for bespoke training opportunities for your team, then please contact our Partnerships Managers directly at: [email protected].
References:
Asthma+LungUK (2022) https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/about-us/what-we-stand-for/our-latest-work#:~:text=Levelling%20up%20lung%20health&text=In%20response%20to%20this%2C%20Asthma,centre%20of%20poor%20lung%20health .
Global Initiative for Asthma (2022). https://ginasthma.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GINA-2022-Pocket-Guide-WMS.pdf
NICE (2021) What is the prevalence of asthma? https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/asthma/background-information/prevalence/#:~:text=Risk%20factors-,What%20is%20the%20prevalence%20of%20asthma%3F,have%20been%20diagnosed%20with%20asthma.
World Health Organisation (2022) Asthma https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asthma