The management of childhood asthma through care pathways.

The incidence of childhood asthma is on the increase with mounting pressure on health professionals caring for these children. Any attempt to develop services for children with asthma must address the problem of coordinating care between hospitals, GPs and community nurses, and should include the issue of parental involvement. This paper describes how a care pathway is used as a tool to promote partnerships of care between hospital, community and the family, and to coordinate the service.