Le plan d’action personnalisé écrit (P.A.P.E.)

All asthma consensus statements recommend the use of a written action plan. Patients tend to have a positive perception regarding the use of action plans for asthma. They find that action plans are useful for the management of their asthma. Nevertheless, an action plan should not be viewed as the only element in self-management strategy. It is usually part of a multifaceted intervention, including therapeutic education sessions, medical review and prescription of medications. A recent meta-analysis reported a positive effect of the use of written action plans. It is agreed that a written action plan should be tailored to each individual patient and to the type and severity of his asthma. Still, the precise elements of action plans that are responsible for their benefit have not yet been clearly identified. However, considering the different action plans that have been published, it would appear reasonable to build on prior experience and adopt a three-step approach, such as a sequence of stoplight colours, as a means to compare one action plan with others.