New data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has shown a significant decrease in asthma related deaths over the past three years, and nurses have been key to this drop.

The National Asthma Council’s (NAC) Marg Gordon has indicated that “nurses in acute settings have been crucial to ensuring patients get the care they need for asthma, while those working in primary care are ideally placed to provide support and education”.

The data shows that there were 389 asthma related deaths in 2018, compared to 441 in 2017 and 457 in 2016. This decrease has been driven by a significant decrease in deaths from adult women living with asthma.

Despite this decline, the Council has warned against complacency, particularly by patients and healthcare professionals. This is due to the fact that up to 10% of asthma sufferers are thought to have “severe asthma”, which can be life-threatening.

The Council reminds nurses of their range of resources, particularly their Asthma Handbook.