Managing multimorbidity in severe asthma: comparison of resources and perspectives between severe asthma specialists and general respiratory physicians across Europe

Background Multimorbidity refers to the presence of multiple co-existing conditions, but is often underappreciated in the context of severe asthma (SA) management. We sought to identify differences in approaches to multimorbidity management in SA, variability in access to multidisciplinary team (MDT) resources, and whether physician perspectives on multimorbidity differ between SA specialists and general respiratory physicians. Methods The Severe Heterogeneous Asthma Registry, Patient-centred (SHARP) Clinical Research Collaboration circulated an online physician survey via European national respiratory societies to assess a) available resources to address multimorbidity and b) physician perspectives on multimorbidity in SA. Results 495 responses from 25 European countries included 48% SA specialists and 52% general respiratory physicians. SA specialists had more experience with SA patients (20% seeing>60 patients/month) compared to general respiratory physicians. SA specialists had greater access to multidisciplinary care – including better access to MDT, allied health professionals and referrals to external specialists and therefore more routinely assessed comorbidities and considered them greater influences on their practice. They also considered multimorbidity to a greater degree, and rated its impact on their patients’ asthma outcomes (and general health outcomes) as more substantial. Conclusions Alongside more experience of treating SA, SA specialists have increased awareness of multimorbidity and better resources to manage it. However, access to MDTs remains a significant gap for both SA specialists and general respiratory physicians. Furthermore, both groups identified a high need for further education and training about multimorbidity. These findings highlight key areas for improvement in clinical practice, resources and training.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
ERJ Open Research
Published
2026-05-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00157-2026
Primary Topic
Chronic Disease Management Strategies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Managing multimorbidity in severe asthma: comparison of resources and perspectives between severe asthma specialists and general respiratory physicians across Europe

Virginija Kalinauskaitė-Žukauskė, Judit Varkonyi-Sepp, Sabina Škrgat, Edin Jusufović et al.
ERJ Open Research
Chronic Disease Management Strategies
article

Managing multimorbidity in severe asthma: comparison of resources and perspectives between severe asthma specialists and general respiratory physicians across Europe

Virginija Kalinauskaitė-Žukauskė, Judit Varkonyi-Sepp, Sabina Škrgat, Edin Jusufović, Dóra Paróczai, Betty Frankemölle, Felix Wantke, Martina Zappa, Zsuzsanna Csoma, Angela Rizzi, Hans Michael Haitchi, Sanja Popović‐Grle, Saša Rink, Giulia Anna Maria Luigia Costanzo, Shane Hanon, Fabienne Jaun, Valentyna Yasinska, B Milenković, Rekha Chaudhuri, Irén Horváth, Anamarija Štajduhar, Sanja Hromiš, Κonstantinos Samitas, Peter Kopač, Cláudia Chaves Loureiro, Mehar Singh, Ana Margarida Pereira, Dace Matisa, Hilary Hodge, Iveta Kroica, Piotr Kuna, Michael Hyland, Stefania Principe, Ramesh J. Kurukulaaratchy, Özlem Göksel, Bilun Gemicioglu, Dóra Lúðvíksdóttir, Guy Brusselle, Aruna T. Bansal, Ben Ainsworth, Ian Adcock, Antonio Spanevello, Stephanie Korn, Arne Egesten, Florin Mihaltan, Joerg Leuppi, Ruihua Hou, Anna Freeman, Jacob K. Sont, Matteo Bonnini, Sanja Dimic-Janjic, Marco Caminati, Arnaud Bourdin, Anneke ten Brinke, Graham Roberts, Celeste Posbjerg, Giorgio Walter Canonica, Enrico Heffler, Luisa Brussino, Kristina Bieksiene, Apostolos Bossios, Liam G. Heaney, Ratko Djukanovic, Florence Schleich, Ebru Damadoglu, Marcus Butler
article en

Abstract

Background Multimorbidity refers to the presence of multiple co-existing conditions, but is often underappreciated in the context of severe asthma (SA) management. We sought to identify differences in approaches to multimorbidity management in SA, variability in access to multidisciplinary team (MDT) resources, and whether physician perspectives on multimorbidity differ between SA specialists and general respiratory physicians. Methods The Severe Heterogeneous Asthma Registry, Patient-centred (SHARP) Clinical Research Collaboration circulated an online physician survey via European national respiratory societies to assess a) available resources to address multimorbidity and b) physician perspectives on multimorbidity in SA. Results 495 responses from 25 European countries included 48% SA specialists and 52% general respiratory physicians. SA specialists had more experience with SA patients (20% seeing>60 patients/month) compared to general respiratory physicians. SA specialists had greater access to multidisciplinary care – including better access to MDT, allied health professionals and referrals to external specialists and therefore more routinely assessed comorbidities and considered them greater influences on their practice. They also considered multimorbidity to a greater degree, and rated its impact on their patients’ asthma outcomes (and general health outcomes) as more substantial. Conclusions Alongside more experience of treating SA, SA specialists have increased awareness of multimorbidity and better resources to manage it. However, access to MDTs remains a significant gap for both SA specialists and general respiratory physicians. Furthermore, both groups identified a high need for further education and training about multimorbidity. These findings highlight key areas for improvement in clinical practice, resources and training.

ERJ Open Research
Partnerships for the goals
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Chronic Disease Management Strategies
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.