Community pharmacists should have a greater role in managing asthma, including authority to sign off on patients’ written action plans, according to provocative proposals from stakeholders.

An exploratory discussion paper released by the National Asthma Council Australia in February suggests handing more responsibility to pharmacists, rethinking guidelines and rescheduling key pharmacotherapies.

The paper reflects the views of 12 individual contributors, ­including GPs and pharmacists, who expressed frustration with the suboptimal uptake of self-management and proposed shifting away from the “GP-centric health model”.

“A number of contributors suggested pharmacists should have an increased role in asthma care because of their accessibility to patients,” the paper says.