Asthma Annual Review and Reliever Overuse Audit

Free projects are complete and ready to use. Paid projects can also be adapted to your local requirements. This project uses a fixed Lazomis clinical configuration of 28 audit criteria across cohort and review context, asthma control assessment, exacerbation and risk review, reliever use and possible over-reliance, medicines review and adherence, inhaler technique, personalised action plan and self-management, triggers and wider review, and follow-up and escalation. Data collection, dashboards, findings, improvement planning, re-audit and every output are included at no cost.

• GPs, practice nurses, clinical pharmacists, ACPs and physician associates
• Respiratory nurses, community pharmacists and long-term condition leads
• QI, clinical governance and service management teams
• Trainees needing ARCP-ready evidence

• Measure whether asthma control is assessed using a structured or validated method
• Review whether exacerbation history, urgent care use and higher-risk features are documented
• Review reliever use, possible SABA over-reliance and the action taken where concern is identified
• Review medicines, adherence, inhaler technique, personalised asthma action plans and follow-up
• Generate governance-ready and ARCP-ready evidence

• Anonymised case number, review date, audit cycle and location
• Age band, adult/young person/child category, care setting and register status
• Asthma control method and status, exacerbations and urgent care use
• Reliever strategy, SABA issue bands, technique method and action plan status
• 28 fixed audit criteria (Yes / No / Not applicable)
• Free-text learning points

• Live dashboard
• Audit report (Word)
• Executive summary (Word)
• Excel workbook
• PowerPoint presentation
• Conference poster
• ARCP evidence summary

This ready-built project is developed using the guidance, standards and authoritative sources listed below, so you can see what is being measured and why. Lazomis QI does not publish or own this guidance, and inclusion here does not imply endorsement or approval by any of these organisations.

• NICE (BTS/NICE/SIGN joint guideline)

  NG245: Asthma — diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management(opens the original source in a new tab)

  National guidance on asthma monitoring, review, control assessment, treatment and self-management, including reliever strategy and MART.

• NICE

  QS25: Asthma(opens the original source in a new tab)

  Quality statements covering asthma review, personalised asthma action plans, inhaler technique and follow-up after an exacerbation.

• NICE

  IND273: Asthma — annual review(opens the original source in a new tab)

  Indicator context for the proportion of people with asthma who receive an annual review.

• NICE

  IND315: Asthma — annual review for higher-risk patients(opens the original source in a new tab)

  Indicator context for annual review of higher-risk asthma patients, including reliever-use risk signals.

• NHS England

  Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance(opens the original source in a new tab)

  Provides primary care monitoring context only. QOF indicators are contractual measures and are not presented here as the full clinical standard.

• Local policy

  Local asthma, respiratory, prescribing, paediatric, community pharmacy, urgent care and referral policies

  Local asthma review templates, reliever-overuse definitions and searches, formulary and inhaler device choice, inhaler-technique training, personalised asthma action plan templates, recall and follow-up processes, paediatric and pregnancy pathways and urgent escalation routes define what is required locally. Confirm local policy before interpreting results.

• Designed to use anonymised or pseudonymised audit identifiers.
• This tool supports, but does not replace, clinical judgement.
• Local policy, formulary and specialist advice should be followed.
• Organisations remain responsible for local governance arrangements.
• This tool supports clinical audit and quality improvement. It does not replace clinical judgement, local policy, local formulary, specialist advice or urgent escalation pathways.
• Acute asthma symptoms, severe breathlessness, rapidly worsening asthma or suspected life-threatening asthma should be managed according to local urgent or emergency pathways.
• Reliever-use signals are audit prompts only. SABA thresholds do not apply to ICS/formoterol reliever or MART regimens, and QOF indicators are not presented as the full clinical standard.
• Use anonymous case identifiers only — never patient-identifiable information.

Supporting guidance from the Lazomis QI Resource Library. Authoritative clinical standards referenced by this project remain separate.

• Clinical GovernanceIntegrating Quality Improvement into Clinical Governance FrameworksThis article explores the vital relationship between Quality Improvement (QI) and Clinical Governance within the NHS, demonstrating how they are two sides of the same coin when aiming for continuous, systematic improvement in patient care.
• Quality ImprovementPlanning Effective PDSA Cycles for Quality ImprovementThis guide provides a practical, step-by-step approach to planning effective Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles for quality improvement initiatives within the NHS, focusing on robust design and learning. It covers essential considerations from defining your aim to anticipating challenges, helping teams systematically test changes.
• Quality ImprovementDocumenting PDSA Cycles for Effective Quality ImprovementThis guide provides practical advice on documenting Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, a crucial component of effective quality improvement in the NHS, ensuring learning is captured and shared.
• Quality ImprovementHow Many PDSA Cycles Does a Quality Improvement Project Need?This guide explains the iterative nature of PDSA cycles and offers practical advice for determining the appropriate number of cycles needed for effective quality improvement in NHS settings.