In this Issue April 2005

Spirometer Users' and Buyers' Guide

Advances in Treating and Managing the Cost of Respiratory Disease

Conference Diary 2005

Spirometer Users' and Buyers' Guide

The National Asthma Council, with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, has published a guide to spirometry use and purchase on the website.

The Spirometer Users' and Buyers' Guide was written by Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Scientists (ANZSRS) members Dr Debbie Burton, Assoc. Prof. David P. Johns and Ms Maureen Swanney.

The guide aims to give GPs and others performing lung function testing all the essentials on fundamental aspects of lung function testing:

what a spirometer does,
why lung function should be measured,
how to perform, assess and interpret spirometry, and
how to fit this into a standard consultation.

It covers such practical issues as the Medicare rebate and SIPs, and involvement of the practice nurse as well as infection control, quality assurance and criteria for spirometer performance.

The second half of the guide deals with the selection of a spirometer – all those in the list of currently available spirometers meet the ANZSRS and American Thoracic Society criteria. Reference values are included, plus a very helpful state-by-state list of ‘resource respiratory laboratories’ willing to answer GPs’ questions about purchasing a spirometer and provide advice on spirometry measurement.

The importance of spirometry for screening and managing patients with respiratory disease is now well established.

For general practitioners wishing to include spirometry in their practice the Spirometer Users' and Buyers' Guide provides solid advice on determining which spirometer may best suit their practice requirements.

Spirometer Users' and Buyers' Guide

(http://www.nationalasthma.org.au/HTML/management/spiro_guide/index.asp)

Asthma Information Papers and Brochures

The latest evidence-based information on the problems associated with asthma, including allergies, pain relief, diet in early childhood and many other issues is now available for health professionals and people with asthma.

The National Asthma Council, the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy and the National Asthma Reference Group have developed a series of information papers and brochures to assist people with asthma, their carers and health professionals, to better manage the condition and enjoy improved quality of life.

The topics in the series include:

1 Asthma and Allergy
2 Asthma and Lung Function Tests
3 Asthma and Pain Relievers
4 Asthma and Air Pollution
5 Asthma and Complementary Therapies
6 Asthma and Infant Bedding
7 Asthma and Diet in Early Childhood
8 Asthma and Wheezing in the First Years of Life

for consumers and health professionals.

Online versions of the health professional series have a full list of references and are available now at:

Consumers

Health Professionals
(http://www.nationalasthma.org.au/HTML/management/infopapers/index.asp)

Managing Your Asthma Chart

The Managing Your Asthma chart shows the range of respiratory puffers and devices available in Australia.

All inhalation devices benefit from comprehensive demonstration and careful explanation of their use. A "hands-on" trial in the surgery would benefit the person with asthma and any carers.

As many people do not use their inhalers correctly, their technique should be checked regularly, especially if symptom control is poor. If you do not have access to physical examples of devices, then the Managing Your Asthma chart may be useful for you.

With the range of delivery devices available today, a suitable combination of drug and delivery system can be tailored to suit most special needs, including children or older persons.

The chart is available for you to download and print for individual use as required.

Managing Your Asthma
(470KB PDF File - Acrobat Reader required)

Medication Device CD-ROM

Compatible with any computer, the interactive CD-Rom, "How to Correctly Use Inhaled Respiratory Medication Devices", uses verbal instructions, checklists and non-verbal demonstrations covering the use of the respiratory inhaler types available.

Individual device information is easy to identify and access to help patients improve their competency. Non-verbal demonstrations are particularly useful for patients who speak in a language other than English.

The CD-ROM, which costs $69.30, is available from the Lung Health Promotion Centre.

For more information, phone 03 9276 2382, email lunghealth@alfred.org.au or see

Lung Health Promotion Centre
(www.lunghealth.org)

Advances in Treating and Managing the Cost of Respiratory Disease

The Leadership Summit Advances in Treating and Managing the Cost of Respiratory Disease will be held on 27 and 28 June 2005 in Las Vegas, USA.

The summit will examine the costs of respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, COPD and allergies to the workplace. There will be presentations on economic strategies, new treatment regimens and successful programs that address the cost-impact of respiratory disease.

The second day of the summit includes a keynote presentation of particular relevance to primary care, titled Treating and Managing the Costs of Respiratory Disease – An International Perspective. The session will cover

initiatives in Norway that have resulted in greater control of COPD through smoking cessation policies,
how Canada has created multiple guidelines for asthma, both paediatric and adult as well as COPD, and
how, in the UK, asthma came to be viewed as a chronic condition versus a ‘series of acute episodes,’ and the momentous shift in management from secondary to primary care.

Moderator:

Barbara Yawn, M.D., MSc
Director of Research Olmstead Medical Center AAFP
Vice Chair, International Primary Care Respiratory Group Research Committee, USA

Panelists:

Anders Ostrem, M.D.
Specialist in Family Medicine
President, International Primary Care Respiratory Group, Norway

Alan Kaplan, M.D., CCFP(EM)
Chairperson Family Physician Airways Group of Canada
Board Member, International Primary Care Respiratory Group, Canada

Dr. Mark L Levy, FRCGP
Editor GPIAG and Primary Care Respiratory Journal
Research Fellow, Division of Community Health Sciences GP Section University of Edinburgh, UK

Medical Adviser, National Respiratory Training Centre, Warwick
Chairman, Primary Care and General Practice Scientific Group of the ERS
Consulting Editor IPCRG Website

For more information go to

Advances in Treating and Managing the Cost of Respiratory Disease

(http://www.worldcongress.com/wcls/respiratory/index.cfm)

Research Funding Opportunities

The National Asthma Council would be pleased to list funding opportunities that may be available for asthma research. Submit brief details for consideration by email to editor@nationalasthma.com.au.

Conference Diary 2005

Submit brief conference/meeting details to the National Asthma Council for possible posting in our Conference Diary by email to editor@nationalasthma.com.au.

The American Thoracic Society San Diego Convention Center San Diego, USA 20 - 25 May, 2005 ATS 2005 (http://conference.thoracic.org/ic/ic2005/welcomeletter.jsp)
Managing Pain Using Self-Management Approaches: Evidence and implementation (Half-day Workshop) Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre Sydney, Australia 19 August 2005 Information/registration (http://www.dcconferences.com.au/pinp2005).
16th Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) Annual Scientific Meeting Queenstown, New Zealand 31 August - 4 September 2005 ASCIA Annual Scientific Meeting (http://www.allergy.org.au)
10th Congress of APSR 1st Joint Congress of the APSR/ACCP Guangzhou, China November 11-14, 2005 APSR Information (http://www.apsr2005.com)