Trial reportThorax1995
Peak flow based asthma self-management: a randomised controlled study in general practice. British Thoracic Society Research Committee.
Trial report in Thorax, 1995. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Personalised asthma action plans for adults with asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Chronic disease management programmes for adults with asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Interventions for educating children who are at risk of asthma-related emergency department attendance.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2009Pooled it
- Options for self-management education for adults with asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2003Pooled it
- Limited (information only) patient education programs for adults with asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2002Pooled it
- Self-management education and regular practitioner review for adults with asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2000Pooled it
- Canadian Asthma Consensus Report, 1999. Canadian Asthma Consensus Group.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 1999Guideline
- Pooled it
- Do Patients of Subspecialist Physicians Benefit from Written Asthma Action Plans?American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2015Trial
- Validation of a guideline-based composite outcome assessment tool for asthma control.Respiratory research · 2007Trial
- A randomized clinical trial of peak flow versus symptom monitoring in older adults with asthma.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2006Trial
- Self-management of asthma in general practice, asthma control and quality of life: a randomised controlled trial.Thorax · 2003Trial
- Clustered randomised trial of an intervention to improve the management of asthma: Greenwich asthma study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 1999Trial
- Self-Management of Medications During Sick Days for Chronic Conditions: A Scoping Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Text Message Reminders on Asthma Medication Adherence.Innovations in pharmacy · 2018Article
- Review
- The pharmaceutical care of patients with hypertension: an examination of service models in primary care in the US.Pharmacy world & science : PWS · 2001Article
- Can pharmacists influence the health-related quality of life of patients with asthma?: The New Zealand Pharmaceutical Care experience.Journal for scientific research. Medical sciences · 2001Article
- Guided self management plans for asthma. Advice should be simple and patient focused.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2001Article
- Qualitative study of views of health professionals and patients on guided self management plans for asthma.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2000Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeak flow based asthma self-management plans have been strongly advocated in consensus statements, but convincing evidence for the effectiveness of this approach has been largely lacking.
methodsA randomised controlled trial was conducted in 25 general practices comparing an asthma self-management programme based on home peak flow monitoring and surgery review by a general practitioner or practice nurse with a programme of planned visits for surgery review only over a six month period.
resultsSeventy two subjects (33 in the self-management group and 39 in the planned visit group) completed the study protocol, but diary card data for at least three months were available on a total of 84 (39 in the self-management group and 45 in the planned visit group). Teaching self-management took longer than the planned visit review. In the self-management group home peak flow monitoring was felt to be useful by doctors and patients in 28 (85%) and 27 (82%) cases, respectively. There were no between group differences during the study period in terms of lung function, symptoms, quality of life, and prescribing costs. Only within the self-management group were improvements noted in disturbance of daily activities and quality of life. Possible explanations for these negative results include small numbers of subjects, the mild nature of their asthma, and inappropriate self-management strategies for such patients.
conclusionsRigid adherence to long term daily peak flow measurement in the management of mild asthma in general practice does not appear to produce large changes in outcomes. Self-management and the use of prescribed peak flow meters need to be tailored to individual circumstances.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.