Part of the National Asthma Council Australia's GP and Allied Health Professional Asthma and Respiratory Education Program, supported by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

The Primary Care Asthma Update (A-Team®) covers the essentials of best-practice asthma and respiratory management for primary care health professionals.

Starting with the principles of diagnosis and management, each session then covers 2-3 elective topics chosen by the host organisation from the optional education modules. Modules include spirometry, medications, allergy, paediatric asthma, exacerbations, device technique and COPD. 

Workshops are presented by health professional peer educators from our team of experts, which includes GPs, asthma and respiratory educators, and respiratory physicians.

The NAC has run similar workshops since 2002 with consistently positive feedback from participants. Under the last series (held 2006-2009):

• 98% of participants reported increased knowledge of best-practice asthma management
• 94% of participants reported the workshop was entirely relevant to their practice
• 92% of participants reported the workshop entirely met their learning needs

Key details

Participants: Primary care health professionals - GPs, asthma and respiratory educators, practice nurses, pharmacists, Indigenous health workers, other allied health professionals
Duration: 2 hours (not including breaks)
Cost: Free

Learning objectives

Learning objectives for participants - primary care health professionals:

• Increase knowledge and awareness of current, evidence-based best practice in asthma and respiratory management
• Develop practical skills to support the use of evidence-based procedures and practices (e.g. device use, patient education, spirometry)
• Learn strategies to incorporate this knowledge/skills systematically into routine clinical practice
• Increase confidence in managing patients with asthma and linked chronic respiratory conditions

Professional development recognition

Workshop participants may be eligible for continuing professional development (CPD) points from the following organisations:

• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP): Approved by the RACGP QI&CPD program for 2 points per hour. Total CPD points: 4 (Category 2). Activity no.: 752883
• Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM): Accredited by ACRRM as an educational event for 2 core PDP points. Activity code: EEACR-8000-NASC*
• Australian Practice Nurses Association (APNA): This activity has been endorsed by APNA according to approved criteria. Completion of the program entitles eligible participants to claim 2 APNA CPD points
• Royal College of Nursing, Australia (RCNA): This workshop has been endorsed by RCNA according to approved criteria for 3 CNE points as part of RCNA’s Life Long Learning Program (3LP)
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA): This activity has been accredited by the PSA as a Group 1 activity for 2 CPD credits. Accreditation number: CX100061
• Society of Hospital Pharmacy Association: (SHPA) The material in this program (2 hour of content as a Group 1 activity for each session) has been accredited by SHPA as suitable for inclusion in an individual pharmacists CPD plan as outlined in the Pharmacy Board of Australia’s Guideline for CPD

*Application in progress for repeat recognition under the 2011-2013 CPD triennium.  

Workshop request

Each workshop is held in conjunction with a local host organisation, which is usually a GP network/division or primary care service. Hosting a workshop is generally quite straightforward, as the NAC coordinates the presenters and resource materials (including associated expenses).

The host organisation will need to:

• Schedule and organise the session
• Arrange the venue, audiovisual equipment and catering
• Promote the workshop to local primary care health professionals
• Receive registrations and confirm attendee participation
• Be on-hand to coordinate the running of the workshop
• Provide a brief report on the workshop after the session

Funding is available to assist host organisations with their costs.

If your organisation would like to host a workshop, please complete and return the Workshop Request Form.

• PCAU Workshop Request Form (Word)
• PCAU Workshop Request Form (PDF)