Now This Is Pretty Startling

[youngmafbog]

http://news.sky.com/story/1255704/patients-dying-after-horrifying-asthma-care

Analysis by the Royal College of Physicians (who will probably be labelled as a right wing group on here in a bit) of 179 patients who died from an asthma attack revealed "major" avoidable factors in 65% of cases.

Medical records showed there were prescribing errors in almost half of the cases.

OK, a fairly small sample but 65% is not good at all and it is difficult to see how this would be bought down to an acceptable level if a larger survey was done.

What can be done about it?

[AliceTickband]

this is indeed very shocking, but are you aware that in schools we are not allowed to have spare emergency inhalers in order to help a child in asthma crisis who may have left their inhaler at home?

So as a mid day supervisor who has asthma I would have to stand by and watch a child in crisis suffering an asthma attack if they had not got their own specific inhaler in school (that's if it could be found quickly!!) even though my own emergency inhaler is in my pocket.

Asthma UK is running a campaign for a change in the law...please visit their website

[pixie373]

Our school insists on two spare blue inhalers for those with asthma. One in the Medical room and one in the classroom.

[Peter Pedant]

Well said Alice

[Peter Pedant]

No Young, the R C P is a chartered group of doctors who set standards in general medicine. Founded 1538 I think.

The current president is Sir Richard Thompson Bt who is also the Queens Physician but I am also sure is determined not to be sucked into purely political issues.

[AliceTickband]

pixie.........yes, our children are supposed to have their inhalers in school too, but some parents.........ooooooo I could shake them!!

[albaqwerty]

I heard a bit on the radion news earlier today (Talksport, news headlines on the hour) that 3 people a day die due to asthma.
A specialist said that it is not a condition that people grow out of, it's a life-long condition which needs monitoring.
I never knew that, so I think (more) education about asthma is what's needed.