Asthma

Asthma - a national Health Priority

 

Asthma Facts

  • 2.2 million Australians have asthma

  • In 2007, asthma caused the deaths of 385 Australians – 17 fewer than the previous year.

    For more information on Asthma Facts go to the NAC Website

Resources for General Practice

The Asthma Management Handbook is published by the National Asthma Council. While written primarily for general practitioners and community pharmacists, the Handbook emphasises a team approach to asthma care. It contains:

 Written asthma action plan templates can by downloaded from the NAC website or use the template on computer software.

Information papers and patient education fact sheets can be found at the NAC website

Useful websites

 

Asthma Cycle of Care

The Asthma Cycle of Care has been developed by respiratory physicians and general practitioners and is based on the latest knowledge about how to treat asthma most effectively.
 
The Cycle of Care involves at least 2 visits to a GP over a period of up to 12 months. During these visits the GP or Practice Nurse will
  • fully assess the level of asthma (guidelines in Asthma Management Handbook)
  • develop a written asthma action plan
  • provide information and education on managing asthma
  • review how well the asthma medications are working

The Cycle of Care is designed for people with moderate to severe asthma or those with poorly controlled asthma. This includes people with wheeze of cough most days of the week, frequent attacks, use reliever medications more than 3 times each week, use a preventer medication or those who have been admitted to hospital or attended the ED.

There are specific Medicare Item numbers for asthma cycle of care, please go to website for more information.

 

Ambulances for asthma

Ambulances for asthma is a website built  by the Asthma Foundation of NSW in collaboration with the Ambulance Service. It has used the website format to encourage people in rural and remote areas to have an active action plan. It takes visitors through the 000 process, which includes an audio recording of actual emergency type calls from both an adult and a child.

It is estimated that 60% of asthma deaths are associated with avoidable factors such as over reliance on reliever medications, delay in seeking help, a failure to recognize the severity of the asthma attack and lack of medical review.

The website is intended to address one of the more at risk population groups, those people who live in rural and remote areas of Australia. It provides people with asthma with decision aids to encourage them to seek medical intervention for asthma earlier.

 

Conducting Nurse Led Asthma Clinics 

This document was compiled by the CWDGP to aid practice nurses in the setting up of and conducting an asthma clinic. Our new resource the 'How to set up an asthma clinic' is now available.

Models of Chronic Disease Management in Primary Care for patients with mild to moderate asthma or COPD is a review undertaken with the recognition that much of the prevention, diagnosis, intervention and management of chronic lung disease in the community
occurs in primary care. This is where the best current opportunity would appear to exist, to modify the natural
history of the disease process before serious ill health and disability become established – in asthma and in COPD where smoking persists despite primary prevention through tobacco control.

for more information go to the website ANU

 

Respiratory courses


The 2010 education program offered by the Lung Health Promotion Centre includes quality, objective education to health professionals. For more information go to the Lung Health website