On World Chronic Cough Awareness Day, podcast hosts Trent and Lori share the table with Dr. Alan Kaplan, a chronic cough expert, as he discusses when it’s time to escalate care in asthma and COPD. He explains what escalation really means in practice, from reassessing symptoms and confirming diagnosis to optimizing inhaler use, addressing adherence, and identifying barriers to treatment. Dr. Kaplan highlights key signs of poor control, when to consider stepping up therapy or referral, and the role of interprofessional teams in supporting access and patient care. If you’re looking for practical, patient-centred strategies to improve outcomes in airway disease, you won’t want to miss this conversation.

About our episode guest:

Dr. Alan Kaplan is a practicing family physician and Chair of the Family Physician Airways Group of Canada. He is an Honorary Professor of Primary Care Respiratory Medicine at the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute (Singapore) and holds multiple leadership roles in respiratory care, including with Health Quality Ontario, the International Primary Care Respiratory Group, and the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). He is also a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Toronto. His work focuses on respiratory medicine in primary care, and he has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and nearly 150 conference abstracts.

This podcast episode is supported through a Lung Saskatchewan and Sanofi-Regeneron partnership.