People with very severe asthma were not coming to the emergency department when they needed to.

What is it about?

We wanted to understand why this was happening and what could be done. We asked people why they did not come to the emergency department when very ill and how we could help. Fear of the emergency department and not being helped in the right way was a fear. We designed a "Patient Passport" that people could show even if they were too ill to talk which got them the right treatment in a short period of time without them having to do more work.

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Why is it important?

It has meant people are more likely to come to the emergency department when very ill and that they feel more confident doing so. We do not know yet if it has saved any lives.