IPCRG Sixth World Conference held jointly with the PCRS-UK, Edinburgh 25–28 April 2012
We are proud to report that we received more abstracts than we could accommodate for this conference, and after peer review, we selected a reduced number to proceed. It is unfortunate that some quality applications had to be rejected. The selected abstracts will be published in the Primary Care Respiratory Journal. There is still time (albeit limited) to register for the conference. You can find programme information at http://www.ipcrg-pcrs2012.com/programme/programme.htm and registration details, including a new rate for non-clinical researchers, on https://www.eventsforce.net/eventage/frontend/reg/tRegisterEmailNew.csp?pageID = 4473&eventID = 16&tempPersonID = 20207&eventID = 16
We are also testing webcasting for the first time—and have broadcasts planned to Chile, where the Ministry of Health will be hosting a meeting and to Argentina and Spain, to take advantage of the Spanish-speaking session. We are still able to discuss other webcasting options for English speaking countries.
Education
Difficult-to-manage’ asthma
Following a literature review and an intense and energetic one-day meeting of IPCRG representatives from Portugal, Pakistan, Chile, Sweden and the UK, secondary care colleagues, and an EFA representative, we are in the process of producing a set of practical resources on ‘difficult-to-manage’ asthma. These will include a desktop helper, briefing for policy-makers and online toolbox of resources. It will incorporate guidance on who and when to refer, and to what services and importantly, what to do before considering referral.
Bangladesh
Better Breathing Bangladesh, a project led by IPCRG-Bangladesh with financial assistance from IPCRG, includes an educational programme for primary care, delivered by Education for Health and the establishment of community respiratory clinics across Bangladesh from where the doctors who qualify from the courses will work. So far eight CRCs have been opened. The official inauguration of the first took place in February by the Honourable Minister of Health and Family Welfare.
Research
Two of our UK studies will be reporting at the Edinburgh Conference: Camille Alexis-Garsee of Middlesex University: A qualitative analysis of barriers, motivation to quit and tailored interventions for smoking cessation in smokers with and without COPD; and Dr Hilary Pinnock: Qualitative exploration and quantitative validation of the Royal College of Physician's three questions for assessment of asthma control (RCP3Qs) when used in the Quality and outcome framework indicator pilot 2009/10.
The FRESH AIR Survey Uganda, funded by IPCRG has started on-site on 15 February 2012 with the training by the research team from Uganda and University of Groningen of the first 45 health care workers. Meanwhile we have submitted our petition on the importance of such studies and raising the profile of non-communicable disease in sub-Saharan Africa to the World Health Organisation and to the Commonwealth Secretariat. We received 1 116 signatures from health care professionals. Thank you if you signed.
The work of our Romanian colleagues, supported by the IPCRG E-Faculty will also report in Edinburgh on the Barriers to the Provision of Smoking Cessation Assistance among Romanian Family Physicians.
During the Edinburgh Conference, IPCRG will select from applications for our next e-faculty to be developed during 2012–13.
GARD
Elections to the 15-person WHO-GARD Planning Group resulted in re-election of Niels Chavannes, our President Elect, as Representative of the professional organisations in primary care and election of Osman Yusuf, IPCRG director as Representative of organisations devoted to specific diseases in his capacity as director of The Allergy and Asthma Institute, Pakistan.
We also congratulate our Associate Members representing the following professional organisations: Monica Fletcher, pharmacy, physiotherapy, nursing and other associations of professions allied to medicine, Lan Le Thi Tuyet, respiratory medicine, Alvaro Cruz, Country-Focus group and Antje Fink-Wagner, patient organisations.
We support GARD's strategy to encourage the development of national respiratory action plans to align with the UN resolution on NCDs and are very pleased that GARD will be circulating our position paper on the role of primary care in chronic lung disease to its members, as we want to see a strategy for primary care in every national action plan.
See http://www.who.int/gard/news_events/en/
See http://www.theipcrg.org/resources/positionpap erone.php and
http://www.theipcrg.org/resources/resources_chronicdiseasemgt.php
European Parliament
Invited by our associate member EFA, we presented twice in November 2011 at the Parliament: Miguel Roman gave the primary care input to a workshop on COPD, and Dermot Ryan presented the primary care perspective at the launch of EFA's book on Respiratory Allergies.