13 Dec GINA releases paper summarising its new strategy a roadmap to asthma control
Previous clinical asthma guidelines have had poor uptake and these new guidelines have been specifically designed to be highly accessible and easy to implement. This new paper describes the methodology used in that process and the rationale behind the changes.
GINA sought input for the strategy report from an international group of over 50 multidisciplinary experts who reviewed previous GINA recommendations based on their evidence, clarity and feasibility for implementation into clinical practice.
Following this process the strategy was adapted using an approach which considered the clinical relevance of recommendations and strategies for their implementation in parallel with a review of the scientific evidence.
By using this approach, GINA aimed to produce a report that shows not only what treatment should be implemented but how it should be implemented. This is complemented by a more visual representation of recommendations and information throughout the report, using flowcharts and tables about issues that clinicians face when managing asthma in their day-to-day practice.
Importantly, the new GINA strategy report also includes evidence-based changes to several key clinical recommendations, particularly about when to initiate anti-inflammatory treatment, strategies for individualising treatment across the spectrum of asthma (not just in severe asthma), revised recommendations for written asthma action plans, and interim recommendations about patients with overlapping features of both asthma and COPD. The article in European Respiratory Journal provides a summary of and rationale for the key changes in the new GINA report.
ERS supports the aim of improving the accessibility of guidelines and has launched a new fellowship in guideline methodology this month, in collaboration with Cochrane and NICE.
GINA strategy report:
http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2015/07/23/13993003.00853-2015