Asthma: smoking status (under 19)

Indicator

The percentage of patients with asthma on the register aged 19 or under, in whom there is a record of smoking status (active or passive) in the preceding 12 months.

Introduction

Asthma and tobacco smoke interact to cause more severe symptoms, including accelerated decline in lung function, and impaired short-term therapeutic response to corticosteroids (Thomson, et al. 2004). In addition, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke results in an increase in the frequency of emergency care attendances for the treatment of acute asthma exacerbations (Chilmonczyk et al. 1993).

This indicator aims to encourage general practice to ask children and young people aged 5 to 19 years with asthma about their exposure to tobacco and encourage smoking cessation advice.

Resource impact

This revised indicator widens the eligible age range from people aged 14 or over and who have not attained the age of 20. It is not anticipated that the content of the existing asthma reviews will significantly change.

There may be a resource impact of recording data for more people due to the widening of the age range, but this is not considered to be significant. 

The resource impact of the proposed indicator is therefore unlikely to be significant.