Your child's personal asthma action plan

Research shows that using a written personal asthma action plan is one of the most effective ways of controlling your child's asthma.

This plan should be filled in by your doctor or asthma nurse, in discussion with you and your child. It will contain the information you need to help your child keep control of their asthma, including details about their asthma medicines, how to tell when their symptoms are getting worse and what they should do about it, and emergency information on what to do if your child has an asthma attack.

The plan allows you to vary your child's medicines within agreed limits to gain better control of their asthma, so it is very important that you know how to use it to help your child keep their symptoms under control. You should not change your child's medicines without following an agreed written personal asthma action plan with your child's doctor or asthma nurse.

Review your child's symptoms, medicines and personal asthma action plan with your child's doctor or asthma nurse every 6 -12 months (more frequently if your child has severe asthma symptoms).