Huisarts Wet 1998;41:236-240 Chapter 3 General Practitioner’s views on

In order to implement guidelines and standards, special support and educational programmes are necessary which relate to the prevailing ideas among GPs. This study, based on interviews of twenty GPs, documents their views on the treatment of asthma. The study examined the discrepancies between practice and theory (as set out in the Dutch guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of chronic non-specific lung diseases in general practice) and the barriers which may prevent putting theory into practice. Discrepancies are most often seen with respect to views on the initiation of treatment based on clinical symptoms, or lung function, on the use of antibiotics for exacerbation treatment, and on the respective roles of doctor and patient in the treatment. In this respect no differences were found between doctors who acted in accordance with the guidelines and those who did not. The barriers to implementing the guidelines include doctors placing too much trust in their patient, misconceptions concerning the presence of bacterial infections and the long term effects of oral corticosteroids. 42 GP’s views on asthma treatmen