Asthma action plans

What is an asthma action plan?

An asthma action plan is a set of instructions for managing your asthma or your child/loved one's asthma. The asthma action plan is made by you and your doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist practitioner and written down for you to keep.

An asthma action plan includes:

• a list of the person’s usual asthma medicines, including doses
• instructions on what to do when asthma is getting worse, when to take extra doses or extra medicines, and when to contact a doctor or go to the emergency department
• what to do in an asthma emergency
• the name of the doctor or other health professional who prepared the plan
• the date.

To view and download asthma action plan templates, go to our Asthma Action Plan Library.

Asthma action plans are one of the most effective asthma interventions available. Use of an asthma action plan:

• reduces absences from work or school
• reduces hospital admissions
• reduces hospital emergency department visits
• reduces reliever medication use
• improves lung function.

How does a written asthma action plan work?

The aim of an asthma action plan is to help you or the person with asthma and/or their carer take early action to prevent or reduce the severity of an asthma attack.

The asthma action plan may be based on symptoms and/or peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements and is individualised according to the pattern of the person’s asthma. In children, symptom-based plans are preferred.

Once completed, the asthma action plan is given to the person with asthma and/or their carer to keep. Parents should give a copy of their child’s asthma action plan to the school, pre-school and/or childcare facility.

Regular review of the asthma action plan is important as a person’s level of asthma severity or control may change over time.

What should a written asthma action plan include?

Different asthma action plans suit different people, but all plans should have the same essential features. The plan should:

• be in a written format
• be individually prescribed, rather than a general example
• contain information that allows the patient and/or their carer to recognise exacerbations (flare-ups)
• contain information on what action to take in response to those exacerbations.

Basic details should include the date, the patient’s name, and their doctor’s contact details. Some also include contact details for the patient’s carer or emergency contact person.

Many asthma action plans follow a traffic light system for assessing the severity of exacerbations, moving from green for ‘under control’ to red for ‘emergency’.

Whichever system is used, the response plan needs to cover:

• maintenance/preventer therapy: doses and frequencies of regular medications
• treating exacerbations: how to adjust treatment in response to particular signs and symptoms
• managing increased severity: when to start oral corticosteroids and seek medical advice
• danger signs: when and how to seek urgent medical help.

Peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurement

Inclusion of PEF measurements in the asthma action plan can be beneficial for people with more severe or difficult-to-control asthma, and those who are not readily aware of symptoms of limited airflow.

When PEF is used, the asthma action plan should be based on personal best rather than on predicted values. Care should be taken when increasing treatment for falls in PEF if there are no symptoms, as there is a risk of over-treatment.

PEF measurement is not recommended for children under 12 years. In most children with asthma, change in symptoms is as effective as PEF for indicating that asthma is getting worse.

A small number of people with asthma may benefit from long-term PEF monitoring. For more information and a PEF chart template go to Peak Flow Chart.

Uploading your asthma action plan to My Health Record

Asthma action plans can be uploaded to My Health Record, an online summary of your key health information, that you and your healthcare providers can view securely.

1. Scan your asthma action plan and save it as a PDF file on your computer. Ensure the file size is not too large (usually under 8MB).
2. Sign in to myGov: Access your My Health Record via myGov.
3. Navigate to Documents: Select the "Documents" tab and choose "Advance Care Planning".
4. Upload: Click the "Add an Advance Care Planning Document" button, select your file, and fill in the required details (date updated, author). It does not say ‘asthma action plan’, but the action plan can be uploaded here.
5. Save: Review the document, confirm it is correct, and save it to your record. 

Asthma Buddy

There are a number of apps available to help support in managing your asthma and your overall health and wellbeing. Asthma Buddy is a mobile-only website that gives you more flexibility and lets you input your asthma action plan into it so you know what day-to-day asthma medication to take. It also help you recognise if your asthma is getting worse and gives you advice on what to do about it.

Learn more about Asthma Buddy.

If you are reading this on your mobile device sign up for Asthma Buddy online: www.asthmabuddy.org.au/#login.

Action plans for anaphylaxis, allergic reactions and eczema

The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) has developed a range of action plans for anaphylaxis, allergic reactions and eczema. Having an anaphylaxis action plan is particularly important for people at risk of serious allergic reactions.

The action plans are available from the ASCIA website:

• Anaphylaxis and allergic reactions action plans
• Eczema action plans

More information

Australian Asthma Handbook (national asthma guidelines for health professionals)

Asthma action plan library