Primary care of adults with asthma in Canada: Analysis of Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN) data

<bold>Rational:</bold> Asthma care occurs predominantly in primary care settings. The Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN) collects electronic medical record (EMR) data from 12 Canadian primary care networks. We aimed to gain insight into pharmacologic practice patterns and care gaps by analyzing national EMR data of adult asthma in Canada. <bold>Methods:</bold> We applied a validated EMR case definition for suspected or confirmed adult asthma (Moloney et al. <italic>Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol</italic> 2023; 19:95) to the CPCSSN database. Active asthma was defined as having an encounter for asthma or prescription for asthma medication between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2022. Prevalence of documented asthma medications was analyzed. <bold>Results:</bold> of 94,410 cases (36,939 male; 57,471 female) of suspected or confirmed asthma, 51,509 (54.6%) were classified as active asthma cases (19,221 male; 32,288 female). Reliever and controller therapy documented in the EMR is outlined in Table 1 <fig><object-id>erj;64/suppl_68/PA748/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig> <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Analysis of this large Canadian primary care database suggests care gaps between current practice and national and international guideline recommendations for controller therapy, as ∼18% of suspected or confirmed active asthma cases were on prn SABA alone. Triple therapy and biologics were uncommonly reported, which may reflect a lack of documentation in primary care EMRs of medications prescribed by specialists.