Task force countries:  14
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, United Kingdom

Started in 1996, the project is intended to support the pharmacist in dealing with asthma patients in everyday practice. The project document "Pharmacy-based asthma services, protocol and guidelines" (1998) provides a systematic and structured approach to pharmacy-based asthma services within the framework of good pharmacy practice.  It offers documentation on these services, their implementation strategies and their outcomes. The document is intended as a tool for implementing these services at national level by the Forum’s member associations.

A survey to map asthma activities in the project countries was made in 1999 prior to a Symposium on Asthma Services in European Pharmacies. The findings showed that most countries had established a network for the project but that progress was slow and cost–benefit analyses had not been made. The task force therefore decided to focus on improving the implementation of asthma services, and on collecting comparable data.

The task force manager has been deeply involved in developing a data collection model that can be used not only for this project, but for all Forum projects.  In 2001-2002 most of the work in the task force has been related to carrying out a pilot study to establish and test the EuroPharm Forum Feedback System (EFS).  The aim was to demonstrate the efforts and results of the project work and to monitor the process and results of the intervention.

The work with the pilot study, including the completed progress reports, has given the task force manager a tool to support the task force members.  The task force will in the future focus more on tailoring to the individual needs and demands of the task force members.