About the Handbook

The Australian Asthma Handbook is Australia’s national guidelines for asthma management. It provides evidence-based, clinical recommendations and practical guidance for health professionals diagnosing and managing asthma in adults, adolescents and children in primary health care settings.

The Australian Asthma Handbook is proudly published by Australia’s lead authority on asthma, the National Asthma Council Australia (NAC). 

The Handbook was first published in 1990, initially as the Asthma Management Plan and then as the Asthma Management Handbook. The Handbook was one of the first Australian guidelines addressing the diagnosis and management of a chronic condition. 

In 2014 it was published online as the Australian Asthma Handbook. This enabled applicable and timely updates to ensure primary health care professionals are always at the forefront of asthma management, nationally and internationally. 

Since then, several updates have occurred, including the current Handbook, Version 3.0, published in September 2025, which involved extensive research with health professionals and a major revision of the evidence and clinical guidance. The NAC Guidelines Committee undertook an extensive overview of the latest asthma guidelines from around the world and the outcome is practical recommendations for Australian primary care based on the best available evidence, and a completely revised website.

The NAC Guidelines Committee is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of leading health professionals dedicated to asthma, including primary care clinicians and respiratory specialists. Ongoing updates will continue to occur by identifying, analysing and synthesising published evidence.

The Australian Asthma Handbook Version 2.0 was endorsed by:

• Australasian College for Emergency Medicine
• Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
• Advanced Pharmacy Australia.

Endorsement of the Australian Asthma Handbook Version 3.0, published in September 2025, is currently in process.

About National Asthma Council Australia

The National Asthma Council is the national authority for asthma knowledge, leading the improvement of asthma care and management in Australia.

As the trusted authority on asthma management and care, the National Asthma Council drives best practice with evidence-based asthma guidelines, strategic focus and collaborative partnerships.

We actively work to assess and address the impacts of asthma through advocacy and collaboration with policy makers, stakeholders and Australian and international asthma and lung health organisations.

Through our Sensitive Choice program, we provide people with essential information about asthma and allergy management and empower consumers to identify asthma and allergy-aware products and services.

The National Asthma Council is a collaboration of four member organisations:

• Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy
• Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.