How do patients' views about medication affect their self-management in asthma?

Successful management of asthma increasingly depends on decisions by patients about when and how to use inhalers and tablets prescribed for their asthma control. Patients with negative attitudes to asthma medication may not be willing to follow their management plan's advice to increase medication when their symptoms worsen. Patients do not always believe their doctors' reassurance about side effects. Although patient dislike of steroid medication is sometimes believed to be the main influence on reluctance to take medication, studies suggest that patients dislike taking any medication regularly. Evidence shows that patients are no more likely to use a combined inhaler regularly than separate steroid and relief inhalers. A proportion of patients with difficult to control asthma follow a chaotic self-management style. Attitudes among these patients may reflect personal styles, and be difficult to change. Among the majority of patients studies now show that patient self-management, and outcomes for patients can be improved by structured behavioural interventions. For most patients attitudes to medication will follow control of symptoms. The experience of successful control by medication, in the ways that patients think are important, are most likely to influence patients in positive attitudes to medication.