The IMP²ART programme

Asthma

Asthma UK estimates that 5 million people in the UK have asthma; with good management most should be symptom-free most of the time. Despite this 60,000 people are admitted to hospital with asthma each year; many more attend their GP for emergency care. 1,200 people in the UK die from asthma each year – many of these deaths are preventable.

Supported self-management

Supported self-management, including engaging in the discussions around a personal asthma action plan, helps people adjust treatment in response to worsening symptoms, improves day-to-day asthma control and reduces the risk of asthma attacks.  Our previous project, PRISMS, reviewed all the evidence about asthma self-management. 

Find out more on the PRISMS website.

However, fewer than a quarter of people replying to an Asthma UK web-survey said they had an action plan.  We know that people with asthma are well placed to manage their condition themselves - and that this is most successful when there is a combination of support in place to help:

1. patient education
2. professional training and
3. organisational support.

We call an approach that addresses all three of these components, ‘supported self-management’.

The IMP²ART programme aims to help general practices to embed supported self-management into routine asthma care.