ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the findings and recommendations of the studies on asthma deaths and provides practical recommendations for their implementation. It assists primary health care professionals in reducing the incidence of severe and fatal episodes of acute asthma. A number of themes emerge from the confidential inquiries on asthma death. These include issues related to assessment, chronic and acute management, and patient education. Organization of care provision has been implicated in poor outcomes for people with asthma. Delayed access to care is one factor: a case control study comparing near-fatal and fatal cases due to asthma concluded there was a delay in access to acute treatment in 28% of the 80 fatalities studied. While a number of studies report cases of adherence to medical advice by patients, a number also report delays in seeking help during fatal attacks.
