Update on the role of the community pharmacist in the management of the asthmatic patient

Asthma is one of the most common chronic non-communicable diseases worldwide, being also the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease. In Spain, the overall prevalence of asthma in children is estimated to be 10% and around 5% in adults. Patients affected by this disease have a poorer quality of life, lower work productivity and more associated comorbidities, and despite the improvements that have occurred in recent decades in the management and treatment of this pathology, and despite the fact that asthma is considered a manageable and treatable disease, deaths from asthma attacks are still occurring. It is at this point that the figure of the community pharmacist comes into play. Given their training and the particular location where they develop their activity, they can and should play a decisive role in the approach to asthma patients in primary care in order to actively collaborate with other healthcare professionals to help to reverse the current situation. This approach could be carried out through different interventions within the comprehensive asthmatic patient care service, such as; screening of undiagnosed asthmatic patients, detection of risk situations and patients with poorly or poorly controlled asthma, detection of patients in a situation of over-reliance in rescue medication, detection of patients with low adherence to anti-inflammatory treatment with inhaled corticosteroids, review of the use of inhalation devices, health education, and help in obtaining personalised written action plans.