Latest data shows children with asthma are falling through the gaps.
Transforming paediatric asthma care: a call to action for healthcare professionals.
Every day in Australia, 72 children end up in emergency departments because of asthma – yet many of these visits are preventable.¹ General practitioners have a unique opportunity to transform care for these children. While we have effective treatments and evidence-based guidelines at our disposal, recent data reveals critical gaps in paediatric asthma care that demand our attention – and action.
“We have the tools to make a difference,” says Anthony Flynn, Director of Health Knowledge and Translation at Asthma Australia. “What we need now is a person-centred approach to quality use of medicines that empowers healthcare professionals as well as families of children with asthma.”
Alarming statistics reveal a concerning level of poor asthma control among children. A shift towards a preventative mindset accompanied by self-management education will support children and their families to understand how to optimally use their asthma medication and help reverse this trend.
Transform your approach to paediatric asthma care – join us on 19 February for an essential 90-minute masterclass on practical engagement strategies.
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The current landscape: a reality check
Recent data points to a sobering picture that challenges the common perception that childhood asthma is easy to manage. Asthma ranks as the number one cause of disease burden for Australian children under 15 years in 2024.2
• 42% of children with asthma had to take time off school due to their asthma.3
• 13,500 children were hospitalised for asthma, and 43% of all asthma hospitalisations were in children.4
• Children under 15 were three times more likely to be hospitalised for asthma than people aged 15 and over.1
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Asthma report, updated November 2024, highlights quality use of medicines issues where healthcare professionals can act.
• Two in ten children relied heavily on short-acting beta agonists (SABAs), with three or more prescriptions dispensed a year, which is a red flag for poor control.1,5 And the problem may be even greater, given SABAs are readily available over-the-counter.
• The National Health Survey in 2022 told us that just under half of children had used their asthma medication in the past two weeks6, and analysis of PBS data confirmed this adherence problem with less than a third of children collecting the expected three or more preventer medicines within 12 months.1
• Despite being recommended in national guidelines since 1989, and being a requirement by schools and childcare facilities, almost one in three children did not have a written asthma action plan in 2022.1,7
Key challenges in asthma care
Additional research tells us more about these quality use of medicines issues, revealing that nearly one in three children with persistent asthma weren’t prescribed a preventer, yet needed one.6,8 Even when preventers were prescribed, only around 50% of prescriptions were dispensed.6,9
Of additional concern is that following hospitalisation for asthma, only around one in ten children admitted without a preventer leave with one, highlighting that the general practitioner’s attention to quality asthma care is even more critical post-discharge.9
Furthermore, fewer than one in three children had their inhaler technique assessed by a healthcare professional,5,10 making the role of primary healthcare professionals in supporting correct device use a critical element in asthma care.
A preventative approach is the key to change
These statistics reveal a disconcerting level of poor asthma control among children. Despite advances in asthma care, many families are facing challenges implementing consistent management strategies, leading to preventable emergency department visits and hospitalisations.
We have an opportunity to reassess how we manage childhood asthma in primary care. We have sophisticated and effective medicines and treatment models that could transform asthma care for children – it’s time to unlock their full potential and set children on a path to a life unrestricted by asthma.
“Unless we address our current modifiable failings, an unacceptably high number of children in Australia will continue to have poorly controlled asthma.”
Dr Shivanthan Shanthikumar, paediatric respiratory specialist
Research has shown that coordinated care approaches, combining asthma self-management education, environmental assessments, and strong primary-tertiary care connections, can significantly improve outcomes. 11
Be part of the solution
As frontline healthcare professionals, general practitioners are uniquely positioned to lead the change, empowering families with the tools and knowledge to help better manage asthma. By taking a person-centred approach including shared decision-making, with a focus on quality use of medicines, families can move from reactive to preventative, personalised asthma management.
Asthma Australia is launching a comprehensive education package in 2025 designed to support healthcare professionals with practical tools and resources to address key challenges in paediatric asthma management.
You are invited to join a live webinar on 19 February: Paediatric Asthma care masterclass: practical engagement strategies. This webinar will tackle strategies to empower children with asthma and their families through effective education and shared decision-making.
Register now: Join this live 90-minute webinar on the evening of 19 February 2025 to update your approach to paediatric asthma care.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
References:
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). Asthma. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/asthma
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/burden-of-disease/australian-burden-of-disease-study-2024
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (2017). Health Service Usage and Health Related Actions Australia 2014-15. Retrieved from https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4364.0.55.002?OpenDocument
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.(2024). Principal diagnosis data cubes. Topic: Hospitals. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/hospitals/principal-diagnosis-data-cubes
- Shanthikumar, S., Homaira, N., Montgomery, B., Hiscock, H., & Chen, K. (2024). The current state of pediatric asthma in Australia. Pediatric pulmonology, 59(6), 1829–1831. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.26978
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (2023). National Health Survey 2022: Asthma. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/asthma/latest-release#management
- Woolcock A, Rubinfeld A, Seale JP, Landau L, Antic R, Mitchell C, et al. (1989) Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand. Asthma management plan, 1989. Medical Journal of Australia 1989;151:650–3.
- Homaira, N., Wiles, L. K., Gardner, C., Molloy, C. J., Arnolda, G., Ting, H. P., Hibbert, P., Boyling, C., Braithwaite, J., Jaffe, A., & CareTrack Kids Investigative Team (2020). Assessing appropriateness of paediatric asthma management: A population-based sample survey. Respirology (Carlton, Vic.), 25(1), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1111/resp.13611
- Chen, K. Y., Aye Tun, N., Jones, R., Shanthikumar, S., Carlin, J. B., & Hiscock, H. (2023). Effectiveness of asthma preventer dispensing for preventing childhood asthma readmissions: a multisite cohort linkage study. Archives of disease in childhood, 108(8), 673–677. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2022-324549
- Chen, K. Y., Chu, W., Jones, R., Vuillermin, P., Fuller, D., Tran, D., Sanci, L., Shanthikumar, S., Carlin, J., & Hiscock, H. (2023). Modifiable factors associated with pediatric asthma readmissions: a multi-center linked cohort study. The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma, 60(4), 708–717. https://doi.org/10.1080/02770903.2022.2089996
- Homaira, N., Dickins, E., Hodgson, S., Chan, M., Wales, S., Gray, M., Donnelly, S., Burns, C., Owens, L., Plaister, M., Flynn, A., Andresen, J., Keane, K., Wheeler, K., Gould, B., Shaw, N., Jaffe, A., Breen, C., Altman, L., & Woolfenden, S. (2022). Impact of integrated care coordination on pediatric asthma hospital presentations. Frontiers in pediatrics, 10, 929819. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2022.929819
This article is sponsored by Asthma Australia.
