Spirometry Training For General Practice, Australia

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Nursing / Midwifery;  Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 05 Feb 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The National Asthma Council Australia has launched Australia's first national spirometry training course for GPs and practice nurses.

The six hour interactive course, which is open to individual Divisions of General Practice, was developed in consultation with the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (ANZSRS) and the National Asthma Council's GP Asthma Group.

It is designed to provide participants with comprehensive training in the application, measurement and interpretation of expiratory spirometry in general practice and provides hands on components to allow participants to apply their new knowledge in a practical setting. Already more than 30 medical practitioners working with Australian Defence Force Recruiting have taken advantage of the new course in the wake of the Defence Force redefining its medical standards to allow for the inclusion of people with mild to intermittent asthma.

"General Practitioners implementing Defence's asthma policy undertook the course to improve their ability to interpret the technical detail in spirometry reports and assess an individual's respiratory function," said Chief Medical Officer Defence Force Recruiting, Dr Danielle Klar.

Dr Klar believes the course will have assisted them to recognise the impact and severity of lung diseases, such as asthma, on lung function and ensure that Defence candidates with a history of asthma are assessed accurately and efficiently.

"It provides an important update for all doctors who are likely to have received only limited formal training on spirometry since their initial university studies," she said.

During 2008, the new spirometry training course will be rolled out nationally through individual Divisions of General Practice. Divisions can nominate to host a training course by submitting an application form to the National Asthma Council. Forms are available on-line at: www.nationalasthma.org.au (follow the link to 'Spirometry Resources' from home page).

The National Asthma Council Australia's spirometry training course is provided free of charge, thanks to funding by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Course participants may be eligible for continuing professional development (CPD) points.

National Asthma Council Australia

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