Aims : to discuss two new published guidelines, namely, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) guideline on inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)/formoterol on demand and the ERS clinical practice guideline on palliative care for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or interstitial lung disease (ILD); to provide physicians, healthcare professionals, patients and other stakeholders information on the use of rescue ICS/formoterol for the treatment of adult and adolescent patients with mild asthma based on a systematic review of the literature and application of the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach; to explain what palliative care entails for people with COPD or ILD and their informal caregivers and how to identify people with COPD or ILD who may benefit from palliative care; to describe a model to integrate palliative care in disease-modifying care for people with COPD or ILD; to discuss the clinical implications of both guidelines and barriers to their application in clinical practice.