ASTHMA NEWS FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
DECEMBER 2015
Asthma costs Australia $28 billion a year
Our new report on the economic cost of asthma shows its far-reaching financial impacts on the government, community, and people with asthma and their families.
The Hidden Cost of Asthma, our joint report with Asthma Australia prepared by Deloitte Access Economics, details the financial burden of asthma including direct healthcare costs of $1.2bn and $24.7bn attributed to disability and premature death.
We are greatly saddened by the recent passing of Professor Peter van Asperen.
Peter was a highly respected paediatric respiratory physician who had a long relationship with the National Asthma Council Australia as a trusted colleague and advisor for more than 20 years. Most recently, he was the lead paediatric contributor to the Australian Asthma Handbook as a member of the overarching Guidelines Committee and co-chair of the paediatric working group.
Alongside his clinical acumen, Peter’s kindness and generosity will be long remembered, as well as his commitment to education, mentoring and good medicine. Indeed, he insisted on being involved in the latest Handbook update despite his own health situation. We will miss him very much.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this time.
Vale Peter
Are your patients ready for Christmas and the summer holidays?
Our December media activity aims to remind people with asthma and allergies to be prepared over Christmas and the summer holidays, including bushfire season.
From April 2016, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will be updating some medicine ingredient names used in Australia to align with names used internationally. Names that will be changing include eformoterol and beclomethasone.
Research study for parents of children with serious illness
The Behavioural Sciences Unit of the Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children's Hospital are looking to recruit parents of children with serious illness, including asthma, for a research study.
The research will investigate the educational experiences and outcomes of children and adolescents with serious illness compared with children and adolescents without serious illness.
3rd International Workshop on Lung Health
Asthma and COPD: Converging or diverging chronicity?
15–17 January 2016
Monaco More information
April 2016
TSANZRS Annual Scientific Meeting
1–6 April 2016
Perth More information
May 2016
8th IPCRG World Conference
Teamwork: Who cares? The Value of Multidisciplinary Respiratory Care for Patients, Clinicians and Healthcare Systems
25–28 May 2016
Amsterdam More information
