Why asthma patients are 'dying needlessly'

A damning report released by medical experts says that asthma patients in the United Kingdom are dying needlessly due to poor care.

16:14 06 May 2014

A damning report released by medical experts reveals that United Kingdom has one of the highest asthma death rates in Europe. 

 

The report, which involved the examination of 195 patients including children, claims that this could have been prevented if only patients were given enough care and the right amount of information. Also, the report says that medics are failing to spot key signs displayed by patients. 

 

GP Dr Mark Levy, RCP's clinical lead for the report, said: “It might be that in these cases people were complacent about their asthma and we feel that the majority of these people did not know what to do.”

 

The report concluded: “The review found deficiencies in both the routine care of asthma patients and the treatment of attacks.

 

“In many instances neither doctors nor patients recognised the signs of deteriorating asthma; they also did not react quickly enough when these were seen.”

 

The report was released on World Asthma Day and offered series of recommendations for healthcare workers on how to properly care for asthma patients to save their lives.