[General practitioner and respiratory medicine specialist. A survey on the management of the asthmatic patient].

The relationship between the general practitioner (GP) and the respiratory medicine physician specialist in the management of the asthmatic patients was examined. Two-hundred sixty -two GPs from Brescia and province were enrolled into the study and underwent an appropriate questionnaire, focusing the survey on three aspects: the relationship among GP-respiratory medicine physician specialist and asthma patients, the training of GP, the appraisal of the socio-economic aspects of the management of bronchial asthma. The results have shown the requirement of a GP-respiratory medicine physician specialist relationship founded on the exchange of information and experiences, rather then of synthetic diagnoses and therapeutic directions, and the opportunity to establish outpatients' departments dedicated to the management of the asthmatic patients. Moreover, it has been shown an inadequate application of international guidelines and a not full appraisal of the socio-economic aspects of the management of the asthmatic patients.