Impact of Pharmacist intervention on asthma management

All eligible clinically diagnosed asthma outpatients receiving regular treatment at Fatima Jinnah Institute of Chest Diseases, Quetta, Balochistan will be included in the study. A pharmacist trained in the pathophysiology, management of asthma, and use of the current study protocol will administer the intervention. The intervention will include one-on-one sessions. There will be 2 sessions of one hour per week and sessions will continue for 6 weeks (with proper marked attendance of patients for each session) during which pharmacist will educate the patient on basic facts about asthma, understanding difference between the controller and reliever medications, taking medications correctly, correct use of inhaler, spacer, nebulizer etc., identifying and avoiding environmental exposure that exacerbate asthma, self-monitoring to assess the level of asthma control, monitor and recognize early signs and symptoms of worsening asthma, and provide written action plans to know when and how to take daily actions to control asthma, adjust medications in response to signs of worsening asthma, and when to seek medical care. Written Action Plan, developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will be provided to each patient. This action plan will include detailed instructions on daily actions to control asthma, how to adjust medications in response to changing symptoms, and when to seek medical care. Patients will be taught how to write and personalize their own action plan, ensuring they can monitor their asthma and adjust treatments effectively. Patient outcomes, including inhaler technique, asthma control, quality of life, and medication adherence, will be measured using the 11 items checkpoint of inhaler technique (WHO), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ), and the General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS), respectively. These tools are available in Urdu, and permission has been granted to use them in their authorized version and self designed data collection form will be used. This comprehensive program will empower patients to manage their asthma effectively and make informed decisions about their health.