How pharmacists can help children and young people with asthma: 2024 AskAboutAsthma campaign highlights

The 2024 #AskAboutAsthma campaign calls on pharmacists to take an active role in improving asthma management and outcomes for children and young people

Pharmacists and Asthma

The #AskAboutAsthma annual campaign, led by NHS England – London’s Babies, Children and Young People programme, is returning for its eighth year with a focus on promoting simple changes that can make a big difference to people living with asthma.

Scheduled to take place from 9-15 September, this year’ campaign aims to address broader factors such as vaping, air quality, housing conditions, and mould to ensure every child and young person in London with asthma receives the support and tools necessary to manage their condition effectively.

Pharmacists are encouraged to support the 2024 #AskAboutAsthma campaign, themed “helping children and young people with asthma to live their best lives.” They can contribute to the campaign in various ways, including:

• Offering inhaler technique checks to all children and young people with asthma.
• Identifying children and young people who are not regularly collecting their preventer medication and communicating this to their GP practice.
• Identifying children and young people who are collecting large amounts of reliever medication and communicating this to their GP practice.
• Advising patients that nebulisers and nebules for asthma rescue medication should only be used if recommended and managed by an asthma specialist.
• Sharing information with asthma patients and their parents/carers about asthma triggers, such as smoking, vaping, and damp and mould, and emphasising the importance of minimizing exposure.

Pharmacists can also provide practical advice on inhaler techniques to ensure parents and carers are following the four key asks:

• Does their child have an asthma action plan?
• Have they had an inhaler technique check by an appropriately trained clinician in the past year?
• Are they scheduling an asthma review every year and after every attack?
• Do they know how air pollution affects their asthma?

Darush Attar-Zadeh, Clinical Fellow Respiratory Pharmacist at NWL ICB, underscores the crucial role pharmacists play in managing asthma among children and young people:

“As pharmacists, we are well-placed and pivotal in ensuring that children and young people have vital information about managing their asthma.

“We have the opportunity for regular face-to-face interaction and can play an active role in improving respiratory health. Our role extends beyond just dispensing medications; we can be considered more like healthy living/wellbeing pharmacies.”

He highlights that an important way pharmacists can support children and young people with asthma is through medicine reviews, which allow them to check medication adherence.

Additionally, pharmacists can guide patients on the correct use of inhalers and spacers by first observing their technique and then correcting any errors.

He points out that “poor inhaler technique and lack of adherence to preventative treatment can lead to poorly controlled asthma, which is burdensome for the patient, the planet, and the NHS as a whole.”

As part of the campaign, a webinar will be organised on September 10, from 7:30-8:30 pm. The #AskAboutAsthma Pharmacy webinar will cover:

• How pharmacy is working with GP practices to improve CYP asthma care in Feltham & Bedfont Primary Care Network
• How the new pharmacy data dashboard can improve CYP asthma care
• The value of community pharmacists in managing asthma holistically in Newham

For more information about the campaign and to register for the conference and live webinars, pharmacists can visit www.transformationpartners.nhs.uk/askaboutasthma-2024/.