![]() The need for standardisation of peak flow charts. When can personal best peak flow be determined for asthma action plans? Thorax 2004 59: 922-4. Melbourne: National Asthma Council Australia, 2004. Spirometry: The Measurement and Interpretation of Ventilatory Function in Clinical Practice. The pages should be printed single-sided for easy reference. Each page on this chart holds 8 weeks of peak flow readings. The first page includes easy-to-follow instructions for entering the peak flow measurements. The peak flow chart is available as a two-page document in PDF format for easy download and use. The Asthma Foundation NSW and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research funded this research. The scientific basis for the design of the chart and a comparison with some of the currently available peak flow charts was published in 2005 in the journal Thorax. The chart and instructions have been extensively pilot-tested, and are in use around Australia and in the UK. Allow easy identification of changes in lung function.Be user-friendly for entering peak flow measurements.To this end, Associate Professor Helen Reddel and colleagues at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and the Asthma Centre at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital have developed this peak flow chart. Standardisation of peak flow charts is important to avoid confusion for those entering the measurements, and to allow development of pattern recognition skills by clinicians and patients. It is very important to use the same type of chart every time so that measurements can be compared and patterns can be recognised. On a compressed chart, it is easy to see when the peak flow falls below that person's usual range, and to recognise gradual rises or falls in peak flow. On a wide, stretched-out chart, even a severe flare-up may appear mild, and the beginning of the flare-up may be hard to recognise. ![]() Research has shown that the shape of the chart has an effect on how the pattern appears. Many different charts are available in Australia for recording peak flow. Peak flow measurements are most useful if they are displayed on a chart or graph rather than just written down as a list.Ī peak flow chart allows the doctor and the person with asthma to recognise the pattern of that person's asthma and see how it changes over time.
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