Special Features Guest Editor’s Round-Up Carol Stonham Chair’s Perspective Noel Baxter Supported self-management for respiratory conditions in primary care Stephani

This briefing was prepared initially for the benefit of our members, who are healthcare professionals working primarily in primary and community care with an interest in respiratory disease.

NICE has today published a single new guideline on the diagnosis and monitoring of asthma, and management of chronic asthma. 

Today is World COPD Day, an annual campaign organised by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease GOLD), to improve awareness and care of patients with COPD around the world.

Our patients live with their respiratory condition 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and by definition self-manage the vast majority of time.

November is Lung Cancer awareness month, a public health campaign to encourage people displaying the common symptoms of lung cancer, such as a persistent cough, breathlessness or unexplained weight loss, to visit their GP. Key facts about lung cancer:

The British Thoracic Society (BTS) has published its 2017 Adult Asthma Audit which focuses on hospital admissions of people with acute asthma. The audit examined data available for 4258 patients admitted to 171 hospitals.

The BTS/SIGN British asthma guideline is due to be reviewed over the next two years, and they are looking for some new healthcare professionals to contribute to the review process.

The annual Stoptober campaign in England is embracing e-cigarettes for the first time and will feature vaping in its TV adverts.

British Thoracic Society publishes first quality standards for adult home oxygen

More than two thirds of PCRS-UK members use the GOLD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) guideline for the diagnosis, management and prevention of COPD, or a local variation of GOLD, as their management pathway for COPD, according to a survey conducted by PCRS-UK in June

Special Features Editor’s Round-Up Iain Small Chair’s Perspective Noel Baxter PCRS-UK 30th Anniversary Fran Robinson, Anne Smith, Iain Small

This article introduces the TARGET study algorithm paper, which reports development of a new clinical prediction algorithm designed to improve targeted antibiotic prescribing in children with respiratory tract infections.

2017 marks the 30th anniversary of the Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS-UK).

People living with respiratory disease require a significant amount of support, guidance and intervention to manage their condition effectively. These interventions need to be delivered by clinicians with an appropriate level of expertise in this field.