TY - JOUR T1 - Reducing short-acting beta-agonist overprescribing in asthma JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 412 LP - 412 DO - 10.3399/bjgp22X720485 VL - 72 IS - 722 AU - Dermot Ryan Y1 - 2022/09/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/72/722/412.abstract N2 - The study by De Simone et al in this issue1 demonstrates clearly the major problems associated with the overprescription of short-acting beta-agonists (SABA) in the management of asthma in the UK, and critically evaluates some of the current challenges prior to instituting a solution.As the authors point out, the diagnosis of asthma may be erroneous in primary care. Studies from the UK, Canada, and the Netherlands demonstrate a very wide range of asthma overdiagnosis in primary care with up to 30% of patients referred to specialist asthma clinics demonstrated not have asthma after evaluation.2The corollary of this is that those who are overdiagnosed are treated for a disease or problem they do not have (so asthma control cannot be achieved, and excess SABA is used for symptoms) and are not treated for the disease they do have, underlining the critical task of … ER -