Results Although highlighting a general lack of high- quality real-life effectiveness observational research on these clinical ly important topics , the analysis provided insights into how identified observational studies might inform asthma guidelines developers and clinicians .
Overall , RELEVANT appeared reliable and easy to use by expert review ers .
Conclusions Using such quality appraisal tools is m and atory to assess whether specific observational real-life effectiveness studies can be used to inform guideline development and /or decision-making in clinical practice
Abstract Introduction A Task Force was commissioned jointly by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology ( EAACI ) and the Respiratory Effectiveness Group ( REG ) to develop a  quality assessment tool for real-life observational research to identify high- quality real-life asthma studies that could be considered within future guideline development .
1-year prospective real life monitoring of asthma control and quality of life in Italy
Objectives The study aim ed at prospect ively evaluating the evolution of asthma control in Italy , to evaluate the reasons for lack of asthma control , perceived quality of life ( QoL ) and association with level of asthma control , the impact of pharmacological treatment , the number of exacerbations and the healthcare re source consumption . Methods PRISMA ( PRospect I ve Study on asthMA control ) was an observational study performed in asthmatic patients including a cross-sectional phase and a 12-month prospect i ve phase . Asthma control was assessed with the  Asthma Control Test ™ ( ACT ) and QoL was evaluated with  EuroQoL-5D question naire filled in and collected during 5 clinic visits together with all the other data . Results The prospect i ve phase included 1017 patients with uncontrolled ( 55.7 % ) or partly controlled asthma ( 44.3 % ) . Out of the 739 patients evaluable after 12 months , 22.2 % achieved full asthma control ( ACT score = 25 ) and 58.7 % reached a good control ( ACT score : 20–24 ) . The improvement in asthma control was associated with improved QoL and reduced hospital visits . The main reasons for lack of asthma control were comorbidities , continued exposure to irritants/triggers and poor adherence to therapy . The frequency of exacerbations was lower in patients with controlled asthma . A fixed combination therapy with an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting β2 agonist was reported by 77.0 % of patients . A better asthma control and improved QoL were achieved with extrafine beclomethasone/formoterol compared to either budesonide/formoterol or fluticasone/salmeterol . Conclusions An improvement in asthma control and QoL can be achieved during a 1-year monitoring in a real life setting . Extrafine beclomethasone/formoterol was associated with significant benefit in terms of asthma control and QoL compared to large-particles combinations . Clinical Trials.gov number NCT01110460
Results Although highlighting a general lack of high- quality real-life effectiveness observational research on these clinical ly important topics , the analysis provided insights into how identified observational studies might inform asthma guidelines developers and clinicians .
Overall , RELEVANT appeared reliable and easy to use by expert review ers .
Conclusions Using such quality appraisal tools is m and atory to assess whether specific observational real-life effectiveness studies can be used to inform guideline development and /or decision-making in clinical practice
Abstract Introduction A Task Force was commissioned jointly by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology ( EAACI ) and the Respiratory Effectiveness Group ( REG ) to develop a  quality assessment tool for real-life observational research to identify high- quality real-life asthma studies that could be considered within future guideline development .