The British Asthma Guidelines — Their production, dissemination and implementation: An article for respiratory medicine on behalf of the British Asthma Guidelines co-ordinating committee

Abstract

The first British guidelines on the management of asthma were published in the British Medical Journal (1,2) in 1990 as two papers, one on the management of chronic persistent asthma and the other on the management of acute severe asthma in adults. Other asthma guidelines had been published previously by a group of respiratory specialists from Australia and New Zealand (3) and by an international group of respiratory paediatricians who made recommendations on the management of asthma in children (4). The initial British guidelines were supported by five fully referenced background papers (5-9). In the same year, the Canadian asthma guidelines were published (10) and since 1990, asthma guidelines have been published in many other countries, including an international consensus report on the diagnosis and management of asthma (11) and a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute/WHO workshop report The Global Strategy on Asthma Management and Prevention (12). Two of these guidelines have been revised, the International Paediatric Guidelines in 1992 (13) and the British Asthma Guidelines (which now include advice on asthma in children) in 1993 (14) and again in 1997 (15).