RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Managing asthma patients: which outcomes matter? JF European Respiratory Review JO EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW FD European Respiratory Society SP 53 OP 61 DO 10.1183/09059180.00010801 VO 17 IS 108 A1 A. P. Greening A1 D. Stempel A1 E. D. Bateman A1 J. C. Virchow YR 2008 UL http://err.ersjournals.com/content/17/108/53.abstract AB Within the respiratory specialist community, there is growing recognition that classification of asthma based on severity of symptoms alone may not accurately reflect the clinical status of a patient. It follows, therefore, that treatment decisions based on this classification can lead to suboptimal management of asthma. The concept of assessing patients by their level of asthma control is gaining wide acceptance and is a major component of the new 2006 Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines. Questions remain, however, on how best to achieve and maintain asthma control. Randomised controlled trials have shown that very good asthma control is achievable in the majority of patients. There is a need for a tool to accurately assess a patient's level of control in the clinical setting if such results are to be replicated in practice. A symposium at the European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in 2006 discussed the important issues that are currently facing asthma clinicians. The current article summarises the main points arising from that symposium.