New research published by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration, Yorkshire Humber (YH ARC), in collaboration with Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and Mid-Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, has revealed that improving medication adherence in asthma patients could lead to significant health benefits and cost savings for the NHS.
The research was carried out by Dacheng Huo and Sebastian Hinde, researchers from the YH ARC Health Economics team, following the success of a ground breaking asthma education project ‘Straight Talking’ by Dr Llinos Jones, Asthma Consultant at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Teaching Trust and Harriet Smith at Health Innovation Yorkshire and & Humber.
The Straight Talking project used regional GP data that illustrated areas of over-prescribing of inhalers, especially in areas with high ethnic diversity and non-English speaking communities. Further data collected from individual interviews and focus groups suggested that there is a variable level of knowledge of asthma, with many myths and misconceptions around the condition.
Dr Jones worked with clinicians and community members to determine where improvements could be made and a number of resources in different languages were developed that are now used internationally. Dr Jones saw the immediate benefit of these resources for her patients, however identified the need to work with health economists to show cost saving benefits in order to scale up the project and maximise impact, building a case for NHS commissioners to invest in the clinical pathways differently, and more proactively.
The health economics research found that improved adherence is associated with reduced asthma exacerbations and better overall health of the cohort, both in terms of how long people live and the quality of those years (measured as ‘quality adjusted life years’, QALYs). For instance, an educational intervention that increased adherence from 50% to 70% reduced exacerbations by 1.75 over 20 years, while increasing QALYs by 0.20, and reducing the costs to the NHS of treatment by £989.
To show the scale of this potential benefit, over 20 years within Yorkshire and Humber this would mean a reduction of over 100,000 exacerbation events and potentially £59 million of reduced treatment costs as a result.
Asthma significantly impacts the United Kingdom, affecting approximately 12% of its population. Patient adherence to asthma therapies is a critical challenge, with research indicating a direct link between poor adherence and increased acute asthma episodes, contributing to worse patient health and substantial costs to the NHS. It is important that the NHS addresses barriers which have a negative effect on people understanding their conditions and adhering to their prescribed medication. Only by understanding these barriers and addressing them with a person-centred approach, can medicines adherence be improved.
“This research provides clear evidence that investing in patient education and support for proper inhaler use can lead to better health outcomes while reducing pressure on NHS services,” said Sebastian Hinde YH ARC Health Economics researcher from the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York.
The study comes at a crucial time, as the NHS faces increasing pressure to improve healthcare efficiency while addressing workforce shortages and cost pressures. The findings support the NHS Long Term Plan’s emphasis on innovative approaches to healthcare delivery.
The research team is now working to expand this initiative across the Yorkshire and Humber region, where asthma remains a significant health challenge, with plans to evaluate specific interventions and develop new technologies to support patient care.
Our partners, Health Innovation Network Yorkshire & Humber played a key collaborative role in this project, read more in a blog written by Harriett Smith- Workstream Lead at Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, explaining the need for a fresh approach to health literacy.
Read the full blog here: The need for a fresh approach to health literacy
For more information, contact:
Sebastian Hinde
Centre for Health Economics, University of York
Email: Sebastian.hinde@york.ac.uk
