Do the British Guidelines for Asthma Management facilitate concordance?
GROUND: Asthma is an example of a common, chronic illness in which clinicians are encouraged to promote concordance and adhere to guidelines. Some existing research suggests that these aims may be incompatible. OBJECTIVES: To describe patient goals for life and for asthma management in order to inform concordance with people with asthma. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, qualitative survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of 47 adults with asthma from Dundee, UK. The subjects were identified from general practice asthma registers and had a range of ages and asthma severity but no significant comorbidity. METHODS: Tape-recorded semi-structured interviews. The topic guide was based on the literature and had been piloted in a previous study. RESULTS: The participants focussed on improving their lives, only aiming to improve their asthma as a means of improving their lives. Three aspects of asthma were reported to help or hinder improving life: the use of asthma medication, trigger a
