Improving Asthma Outcomes with GASP

Why Asthma Awareness Week Matters

In Aotearoa, someone has an asthma attack every 2.5 minutes - but it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right treatment and support, many of these events are preventable.

Asthma Awareness Week (4–8 May 2026), alongside World Asthma Day (5 May), is an opportunity to focus on what makes the biggest difference: ensuring people have the right inhaler, used correctly.

Around 1 in 8 New Zealanders live with asthma, and each year there are approximately 96 preventable deaths.

Despite clear national guidance, gaps in care remain. Over-reliance on reliever inhalers, inconsistent preventer use, and incorrect inhaler technique continue to drive avoidable exacerbations and hospital presentations.

New Zealand guidelines recommend inhaled corticosteroids as the foundation of asthma management for everyone aged 12 years and over, even with mild or infrequent symptoms. When used consistently, they significantly reduce exacerbations and hospitalisations.

Primary care teams play a critical role in improving outcomes through consistent, guideline-based care, supported by effective patient education and self-management.

Turning Evidence into Action with GASP

Giving Airway Support to Patients (GASP) is Comprehensive Care’s asthma management programme, designed to support primary care teams to deliver consistent, guideline-based asthma care in routine practice.

GASP has two integrated components: a clinical course for health professionals and a decision-support tool embedded in practice systems. Together, they support structured, personalised asthma care aligned with New Zealand guidelines.

A Clinical Course for Health Professionals

The GASP Fundamentals Course is a comprehensive online programme for primary care clinicians, including nurses, GPs, and pharmacists.

The 20-hour course covers asthma assessment, medication and inhaler devices, control and risk assessment, trigger management, personalised asthma action plans, acute asthma management, and practical use of the GASP tool in consultations.

It is self-paced and clinically focused, supporting real-world application of guideline-based care. A shorter update course is also available to maintain alignment with current guidance.

A decision-support tool integrated into practice

The GASP tool is embedded within practice management systems and supports structured asthma assessment and management aligned with New Zealand guidelines.

It guides clinicians through assessment of control, risk, and severity; review of medication and inhaler technique; and identification of triggers and contributing factors. It then generates personalised management recommendations tailored to each patient, while remaining fully aligned with the NZ Asthma Guidelines.

It also provides access to patient education resources, including translated materials, and supports consistent care delivery, nurse-led reviews, and proactive follow-up.

Evidence That It Works

GASP is associated with improved asthma outcomes in real-world practice.

A retrospective cohort study conducted in 2014 of 791 patients demonstrated:

• 33% fewer hospitalisations

• 35% lower risk of exacerbations

• 37% fewer emergency department visits

• 34% reduction in oral corticosteroid use

• 47% reduction in bronchodilator use

Subsequent evaluations have shown sustained improvements in asthma control and fewer exacerbations over time. Patients report improved confidence and self-management, while clinicians benefit from a structured, consistent approach to care.

Our Focus for 2026: Simple Actions, Better Outcomes

For Asthma Awareness Week 2026, the priority is clear: the right inhaler, used correctly.

When this happens consistently, patients experience fewer exacerbations, fewer hospital presentations, and better day-to-day control.

GASP helps practices turn evidence into action - supporting teams to deliver structured, guideline-based asthma care that improves outcomes and reduces avoidable harm.

How Practices Can Take Action

Every asthma consultation is an opportunity to improve outcomes:

1. Check your patient’s level of asthma control using a tool such as the Asthma Control Test

2. Avoid SABA only treatment in the long term management of asthma for adults and adolescents NZ asthma guidelines

3. Review inhaler technique at every appointment

4. Provide inhaler technique education, including a demonstration

5. Confirm the patient/caregiver knows what to do if symptoms worsen

6. Ensure every patient has a personalised asthma action plan

The GASP asthma management programme helps make this routine care easier and more consistent by guiding clinicians through a structured assessment, supporting guideline-based prescribing decisions, prompting inhaler technique review and education, and ensuring every patient receives a personalised action plan.

Contact us to learn more about GASP, enrol in the Fundamentals or Update Course, or explore implementing the programme in your practice.

For Patients and Whānau

Good control means symptoms such as coughing or wheezing happen no more than 2 days a week, reliever inhaler use is no more than 2 days a week (not including before exercise), asthma does not limit daily activities, and there is no waking at night due to symptoms.

If you or someone you care for has asthma, consider the following:

• Are symptoms staying within these limits?

• Inhalers only work when they are used correctly. Check your technique

• Do you have an asthma action plan — your written guide for what to do if asthma worsens?

  
  

If not, book an asthma review with your healthcare team.

Improving asthma outcomes does not require complex change - just consistent, evidence-based care delivered well. GASP supports practices to make this achievable in everyday primary care, turning guidance into action and improving outcomes for patients across Aotearoa.