2024 BTS/NICE/SIGN asthma guidelines have the potential to improve UK asthma outcomes, but we must act now

Michael Crooks; Dominic Sykes; Robert Horne; Helena Cummings; Kay Roy; Alex Finney; Andrew  Whittamore; Shoaib Faruqi; Daryl Freeman; Jennifer Quint; Katherine  Hickman; Beverley  Bostock; Joanne King; Judith Dyson

doi:10.1136/thorax-2025-223465

2024 BTS/NICE/SIGN asthma guidelines have the potential to improve UK asthma outcomes, but we must act now

Michael Crooks (Corresponding / Lead Author)
, Dominic Sykes
, Robert Horne
, Helena Cummings
, Kay Roy
, Alex Finney
, Andrew Whittamore
, Shoaib Faruqi
, Daryl Freeman
, Jennifer Quint
, Katherine Hickman
, Beverley Bostock
, Joanne King
, Judith Dyson

Department of Nursing and Midwifery

Hull York Medical School

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC Asthma is a common lung disease and outcomes in the UK are among the worst in Europe. The overuse of short-acting beta agonist and underuse of anti-inflammatory, inhaled corticosteroid-containing inhalers are associated with risk of exacerbations and death. The new collaborative British Thoracic Society(BTS), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) Asthma Guideline endorses an anti-inflammatory reliever-based approach to asthma management and has potential to significantly improve asthma outcomes in the UK.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS We discuss the role of guidelines to support delivery of evidence-based practice and highlight the knowledge-action gap that can prevent implementation of guidelines in practice. Based on the published literature and expert consensus, we describe some of the challenges/barriers that will be faced at both a system and individual level when implementing the BTS, NICE, SIGN Asthma Guideline and tailoring theoretically underpinned strategies to address these.

HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY The proposed framework to support asthma guideline implementation across the healthcare efforts to improve asthma outcomes

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-9
Journal	Thorax
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2025-223465
Publication status	Published (VoR) - 26 Feb 2026

Access to Document

10.1136/thorax-2025-223465

Cite this

@article{657da717a7c647c58f91111f46ea686c,

title = "2024 BTS/NICE/SIGN asthma guidelines have the potential to improve UK asthma outcomes, but we must act now",

abstract = "WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC Asthma is a common lung disease and outcomes in the UK are among the worst in Europe. The overuse of short-acting beta agonist and underuse of anti-inflammatory, inhaled corticosteroid-containing inhalers are associated with risk of exacerbations and death. The new collaborative British Thoracic Society(BTS), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) Asthma Guideline endorses an anti-inflammatory reliever-based approach to asthma management and has potential to significantly improve asthma outcomes in the UK. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS We discuss the role of guidelines to support delivery of evidence-based practice and highlight the knowledge-action gap that can prevent implementation of guidelines in practice. Based on the published literature and expert consensus, we describe some of the challenges/barriers that will be faced at both a system and individual level when implementing the BTS, NICE, SIGN Asthma Guideline and tailoring theoretically underpinned strategies to address these. HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY The proposed framework to support asthma guideline implementation across the healthcare efforts to improve asthma outcomes ",

author = "Michael Crooks and Dominic Sykes and Robert Horne and Helena Cummings and Kay Roy and Alex Finney and Andrew Whittamore and Shoaib Faruqi and Daryl Freeman and Jennifer Quint and Katherine Hickman and Beverley Bostock and Joanne King and Judith Dyson",

year = "2026",

month = feb,

day = "26",

doi = "10.1136/thorax-2025-223465",

language = "English",

pages = "1--9",

journal = "Thorax",

issn = "0040-6376",

publisher = "BMJ Publishing Group",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - 2024 BTS/NICE/SIGN asthma guidelines have the potential to improve UK asthma outcomes, but we must act now

AU - Crooks, Michael

AU - Sykes, Dominic

AU - Horne, Robert

AU - Cummings, Helena

AU - Roy, Kay

AU - Finney, Alex

AU - Whittamore, Andrew

AU - Faruqi, Shoaib

AU - Freeman, Daryl

AU - Quint, Jennifer

AU - Hickman, Katherine

AU - Bostock, Beverley

AU - King , Joanne

AU - Dyson, Judith

PY - 2026/2/26

Y1 - 2026/2/26

N2 - WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC Asthma is a common lung disease and outcomes in the UK are among the worst in Europe. The overuse of short-acting beta agonist and underuse of anti-inflammatory, inhaled corticosteroid-containing inhalers are associated with risk of exacerbations and death. The new collaborative British Thoracic Society(BTS), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) Asthma Guideline endorses an anti-inflammatory reliever-based approach to asthma management and has potential to significantly improve asthma outcomes in the UK. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS We discuss the role of guidelines to support delivery of evidence-based practice and highlight the knowledge-action gap that can prevent implementation of guidelines in practice. Based on the published literature and expert consensus, we describe some of the challenges/barriers that will be faced at both a system and individual level when implementing the BTS, NICE, SIGN Asthma Guideline and tailoring theoretically underpinned strategies to address these. HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY The proposed framework to support asthma guideline implementation across the healthcare efforts to improve asthma outcomes

AB - WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC Asthma is a common lung disease and outcomes in the UK are among the worst in Europe. The overuse of short-acting beta agonist and underuse of anti-inflammatory, inhaled corticosteroid-containing inhalers are associated with risk of exacerbations and death. The new collaborative British Thoracic Society(BTS), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) Asthma Guideline endorses an anti-inflammatory reliever-based approach to asthma management and has potential to significantly improve asthma outcomes in the UK. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS We discuss the role of guidelines to support delivery of evidence-based practice and highlight the knowledge-action gap that can prevent implementation of guidelines in practice. Based on the published literature and expert consensus, we describe some of the challenges/barriers that will be faced at both a system and individual level when implementing the BTS, NICE, SIGN Asthma Guideline and tailoring theoretically underpinned strategies to address these. HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY The proposed framework to support asthma guideline implementation across the healthcare efforts to improve asthma outcomes

UR - https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/17075/

U2 - 10.1136/thorax-2025-223465

DO - 10.1136/thorax-2025-223465

M3 - Article

SN - 0040-6376

SP - 1

EP - 9

JO - Thorax

JF - Thorax

ER -

2024 BTS/NICE/SIGN asthma guidelines have the potential to improve UK asthma outcomes, but we must act now

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this