Get an Asthma Action Plan From a Doctor

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Do you suffer from Asthma?

Your asthma action plan is vital in maintaining and managing your asthma. Ideally your asthma action plan should be reviewed twice yearly to ensure it is up to date and the correct advice is followed in case of emergency.

Our doctors can prepare your action plan with you, to ensure that you understand that plan and what to do in each situation.

Our doctors and nurses can also show you the correct techniques for using a puffer and or a spacer if you are unsure.

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What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that causes the airways to become inflamed. As they inflame, the airways start to narrow, making it harder to breathe.

Asthma can vary from mild to severe. It can present as little as a light wheeze in the chest, all the way up to extreme difficulty in breathing. These symptoms can get worse with exercise, or when you’re around trigger substances.

Our Asthma doctors can manage:

Asthma Diagnosis

History-taking: Symptoms (wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath), frequency, triggers.
Spirometry: Most general practices offer or refer for spirometry to confirm variable airflow obstruction.
Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR): Often used for monitoring or suggestive diagnosis.

Management and Treatment Plans

Initiate and adjust asthma medications:
- Prescribe relievers and preventers (e.g., inhaled corticosteroids).
- Step up/down treatment in line with Australian Asthma Handbook guidelines.
Create and review a written Asthma Action Plan — a Medicare-covered service.
Issue repeat prescriptions and long-term medication reviews.

Education and Self-Management Support

Teach:
- Inhaler/spacer technique.
- How to identify and avoid triggers.
- How to monitor symptoms and PEFR at home.
Discuss lifestyle impacts, smoking cessation, and exercise-induced asthma management.

Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Services

For patients with moderate to severe persistent asthma, GPs can:

Prepare a GP Management Plan (GPMP).
Set up Team Care Arrangements (TCA).
Enable Medicare-funded allied health referrals

Practical tips for asthma care

If you or a loved one is living with asthma, identifying the triggers is the first step to creating an asthma treatment plan and improving your quality of life.

Then you can work on how to avoid them. It may be ensuring cleaner air in the home, avoiding outdoor activities during bushfire season or when pollen levels are high, or eliminating certain foods from your diet.

To really help improve the situation, your doctor may prescribe asthma medication. These are taken in an inhaler, commonly known as a ‘puffer’, which delivers the medication directly to the lungs.

There are two main types of medication

Asthma relieving medication works to open up the airways and quickly relieve symptoms within minutes. Meanwhile, preventative medication helps keep flare-ups under control. These generally use a corticosteroid as an anti-inflammatory, which works to relax the airway muscles. This helps them to stay open so more air reaches the lungs, regardless of the trigger.

A person is more likely to develop asthma if:

They have a family history of asthma, hay fever, or allergies.
They were born prematurely.
Their mother smoked during pregnancy.
They live in a house with smokers.
They’re exposed to high levels of air pollution.

The triggers that cause an asthma attack will be different for everyone, but some common ones to watch out for include:

Allergens like pollen, dust or dust mites, pet dander, mould, or certain foods
Smoke from wood fires, bushfires, cigarettes, and air pollution
Physical activity

Some of the most common asthma symptoms include:

Wheezing. The squeaky wheeze or slight whistling noise when you breathe is a telltale sign of asthma. It’s caused by the airways narrowing, making it harder to get air through th
Coughing. Narrowing airways can also lead to coughing. This is caused by mucus forming in the airways. It can vary from a persistent cough, to one that comes on stronger with exercise, or excitement.
Shortness of breath. As well as wheezing and coughing, another symptom is shortness of breath. This can vary from feeling slightly out of breath, to finding it increasingly harder to breath.
Tightness in the chest. Another symptom is chest tightness. This can range from a slight tightness to feeling as severe as someone sitting on your chest.

There are a few different types of asthma, and understanding which one you have can really help with managing it properly. Some of the main types of asthma in Australia include:

Allergic asthma (aka extrinsic asthma)
Non-allergic asthma (intrinsic asthma)
Exercise-induced asthma (sometimes called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction – EIB)
Occupational asthma
Cough-variant asthma
Aspirin-sensitive asthma (also known as AERD or Samter’s Triad)
Nocturnal asthma (night-time asthma)

It’s set off by things like pollen, dust mites, mould, pet hair or dander.
It’s common among kids and people with other allergic conditions like eczema or hay fever.
The best way to manage it is by avoiding triggers where you can, take preventer puffers regularly, and chat to your GP about antihistamines or allergy treatments if needed.

It’s set off by things like cold air, smoke, stress, or strong smells but not allergies.
It’s more common in adults, especially if asthma starts later in life.
The best way to manage it is by sticking with your asthma plan, using your asthma reliever daily, and avoiding irritants if possible.

It usually happens during or after physical activity—especially if it’s cold or dry out.
Common symptoms include coughing, wheezing, tight chest, or feeling short of breath.
The best way to stay active with this condition is to use a reliever puffer (like Ventolin) 10–15 minutes before exercise, warm up properly, and make sure your asthma is well controlled day-to-day.

It’s caused by things like breathing in stuff at work—like dust, fumes, chemicals, or animal allergens.
It happens at jobs like construction, cleaning, farming, hairdressing, and healthcare.
The best way to address it is by talking to your doctor and your workplace safety team if you think work might be making your asthma worse. Protective gear and changes to your work environment can help a lot.

The main symptom of this variant is a dry, nagging cough (but not the usual wheezy chest).
It often looks like a regular cough, so it can be missed or misdiagnosed.
The best way to manage it is by using preventer puffers and chatting to your GP if this sounds like you.

It’s often set off by taking aspirin or anti-inflammatory meds like ibuprofen.
Often goes hand-in-hand with nasal polyps or sinus issues.
The best way to manage it is by avoiding those meds, and your doctor might suggest other treatments to help keep things under control.

It often flares up at night and can mess with your sleep.
It generally happens due to cold air, lying down, or just poor asthma control overall.
The best way to help is by making sure your asthma’s managed well during the day, and talking to your GP about adjusting your routine or medicines if night-time symptoms are a regular thing.