[The practice guideline 'Asthma in adults' (second revision) from the Dutch College of General Practitioners; a response from the perspective of general practice]

Abstract

The second revised guideline 'Asthma in adults' from the Dutch College of General Practitioners has been published. Several lacunae in the scientific axiomatisation of the approach to asthma expose discrepancies, with regard to the diagnostic and therapeutic approach, particularly during a comparison of the guideline with international guidelines. According to the guideline, treatment of asthma should include the general practitioner seeing the patient on a regular basis. This approach implies that the doctor, and not the patient, still plays a pivotal role during the treatment of asthma, which sometimes makes the treatment less patient friendly than necessary. Hopefully, the next revision will show a little more consideration for the desires of the patient.