Safer Care Victoria

Change concept

Connect families to community asthma support after discharge

Most asthma care happens in the community, not in hospital. Linking families to appropriate services after discharge reinforces education, improves medication adherence, and reduces the risk of re-presentation.

While some regions have dedicated Community Asthma Programs (CAPs), all health services can support families by referring them to statewide options.

Change concept

Ensure families leave hospital knowing how to use inhalers and spacers correctly

Correct inhaler and spacer technique is essential for asthma medications to work effectively. Many families and children struggle with using these devices properly. Providing families with high-quality teach back education and resources allows them to leave hospital confident in their technique and equipped to maintain it at home.

Change concept

Strengthen GP follow-up after hospital discharge

Most asthma care happens in the community – general practitioners (GPs) play a critical role in long-term management. Ensuring children see their GP within 7 days of discharge helps maintain continuity of care and reduces the risk of re-admission.  Evidence shows that timely GP follow-up is linked to better asthma control and fewer hospital visits (Chen et al., 2023).

Change concept

Provide every family with an Asthma Action Plan and teach-back education

Asthma Action Plans (AAPs) help families manage asthma at home and reduce emergency visits. However, they only work if families understand and use them correctly. Teach-back education ensures families repeat instructions in their own words and confirm their understanding before they leave the hospital.

Change concept

Provide asthma medications or a script in-hand before discharge

Asthma preventer medication should only be prescribed when a child meets the criteria set out in recognised medication guidelines. When indicated, preventer medication is a critical component of effective ongoing asthma management.

MAGIC is a practical framework to improve asthma care. It gives health services:

• clear strategies to test and adopt
• evidence-based improvements drawn from research, expert advice and sector collaboration
• tools for fast-tracking change, including tips on how to embed changes into routine care
• guidance that helps sustain improvements over time.  

MAGIC brings together five key areas where health services can make the biggest difference:

Improvement approach

Delivering better asthma care begins with a commitment to continuous improvement. 

While this toolkit presents a range of improvement strategies, we recommend they are tested and adapted to suit your local context.