Table 3

 Action plan variations: summary of results49

Action plan variationResult
PEF, peak expiratory flow; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; OCS, oral corticosteroid; WAP, written action plan.
Action point
    Symptoms v PEF triggeredEquivalent
    Standard written instructionConsistently beneficial
    Traffic light configurationNot clearly better than standard instruction
    2–3 action pointsConsistently beneficial
    4 action pointsNot clearly better than <4 points
    PEF based on personal best PEFConsistently beneficial
    PEF based on % predicted PEFNot consistently better than usual care
Treatment instruction
    Individualised WAP using ICS and OCSConsistently beneficial
    Individualised WAP using OCS onlyInsufficient data to evaluate
    Individualised WAP using ICS onlyInsufficient data to evaluate