Choices and preferences in asthma management.
We conducted a questionnaire survey of the management of asthma among doctors in Singapore to determine the trend and range of prescribing habits. Standardised questionnaires were sent to 3,153 medical practitioners registered with the Singapore Medical Council. The overall response rate was 25.3% (797 out of 3,153 doctors). The data were grouped and analysed according to one of 4 respondent-defined groups: (1) non-specialist general practitioners (NS-GP); (2) non-specialists (house officers, medical officers and specialist-in-training) who worked in MOH hospitals (NSMOH); (3) chest specialists; (4) non-respiratory specialists. Patients tended to underestimate the severity of their disease. Inhaled or nebulised beta-agonist was the treatment of choice for acute severe asthma in adults and children for all 4 groups of respondents. In the maintenance treatment for chronic asthma, inhaled and oral beta-agonists and oral theophylline were the mainstay of treatment for adults and children. Nocturnal asthma was similarly treated. The use of inhaled steroids was variably conservative and was reserved for situations where bronchodilators proved inadequate.
Tan
W C
WC
Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore.
Chia
K S
KS
Goh
L G
LG
D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires