This section is intended for clinicians caring for children with asthma in primary, community, hospital or tertiary care setting. It outlines examples of best practice in the assessment, treatment and ongoing management of children and young people with asthma.

If a child has a personalised asthma action plan they are four times less likely to have an asthma attack that requires emergency hospital treatment. The plan should have information on triggers; what the medicines do (preventers and relievers); how and when to take treatment; current treatment; how to spot asthma getting worse (symptoms and peak expiratory flow); what treatment to take in an emergency; how and when to call for help and how to manage indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Parents should be encouraged to share their asthma action plan with their child’s school and any activity clubs that they regularly attend.

Resources

• London Asthma Leadership and Implementation Group for CYP (LALIG) has produced a suite of Personalised Asthma Action Plans (PAAPs) for use across London. These have drop down boxes so clinicians completing them can include the medication used and indicate the colour of the inhaler. In addition there is a logic function around the peak flow highlighting when individual levels are too low and what action should be taken, in conjunction with symptoms. PAAP 4-11 in colour, PAAP 4-11 in black & white (for printing if needed), PAAP 12-18 in colour, PAAP 12-18 in black & white. MART (Maintenance and Reliever Therapy) and AIR (anti-inflammatory reliever) PAAPs will be added when available.

• Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) statement: this consensus statement by the London Asthma Leadership and Implementation Group (LALIG) encourages the inclusion of peak expiratory flow in personalised asthma action plans.
• Asthma + Lung UK has developed MART (Maintenance and Reliever Therapy) plans for over 12 year olds: Maintenance and Reliever Therapy (MART) | Asthma + Lung UK (asthmaandlung.org.uk)
• These are MART plans from Great Ormond Street Hospital
• Whittington Asthma plan
• Smart Care Plan – Whittington
• Wheeze Care Plan – Whittington 

Please see examples here:

• Asthma + Lung UK UK child asthma action plan
• EMIS asthma action plan for upload
• The Great Ormond Street asthma plan has been translated into Arabic, Greek, Turkish and Bengali. Asthma + LUNG UK’s Asthma Action plan for over 12 years old have also been translated into 11 additional languages here.
• Dr Reena Bhatt and Dr Eugenia Lee walk you through how to complete an asthma action plan– watch here.