Changes in climate constitute a reality that, according to recent projections, is going to worsen in the coming years. Increasing air pollution and climate change have an impact on respiratory health and mortality where climate change represents a massive direct threat to respiratory health by promoting or aggravating respiratory diseases or indirectly by increasing exposure to risk factors for respiratory diseases.
Climate change as a risk to respiratory health
Page: Chronic respiratory diseases
Climate change and respiratory health: Bridging gaps for a healthier future
The International Day for Clean Blue Skies emphasizes the critical importance of clean air and its impact on health and the environment. This day serves as a reminder of the urgent need to reduce air pollution, which is a major contributor to multiple health conditions. Healthcare professionals can help mitigate the adverse health effects of air pollution and support our global collective efforts to help the environment. Participants will learn about the latest research on the impact of air quality on respiratory health, explore the innovative #Care4EveryBreath programme, and discover actionable strategies for pharmacists to support climate change efforts. Join us to understand how healthcare professionals can lead the way in promoting a healthier, sustainable future.
Reframing the role and impact of pharmacy in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Care
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic respiratory disease that requires comprehensive care. Community pharmacists and their teams are ideally placed to raise COPD awareness, identify those at risk and be the driving force behind earlier detection and referral to primary care partners for screening, diagnosis and intervention. At this event, the “COPD Pharmacy Toolkit” to support pharmacists in providing a range of COPD pharmacy services was presented. Participants also learned about the new Speak Up for COPD Coalition publication “The Global State of COPD: Driving Change to Tackle a Lung Health Crisis”. The event marked World COPD Day.
Asthma Right Care for Pharmacists
The International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) has initiated a global social movement to create a desire for change in the management of asthma. Right care means eliminating overuse and underuse of effective interventions, moving away from episodic symptom relief and acute management, and moving to a chronic disease model. It means following international or national asthma guidelines and appropriate use of anti-inflammatory inhaled medicine. In other words:
Doing the right things and only the right things in the right way for the right people at the right time in the right place, whatever that means in the local context.
For more information please visit the pages:
Breaths, a new initiative from IPCRG offering bite-sized, clinically focused mini-courses to help build confidence in respiratory care. Each mini-course is around 5 minutes, practical, and designed specifically for busy primary care professionals. Find the Breaths videos here.
COPD Right Care
In 2021 the IPCRG initiated the COPD Right Care programme that follows the principles of the successful Asthma Right Care movement. IPCRG are building a global social movement to improve care for people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). IPCRG wants to show who people with COPD are, what optimal and safe treatment looks like and why personalisation through shared decision-making is something we must champion.
Clinically effective and cost-effective COPD care consists of a correct, well communicated diagnosis that takes account of multimorbidity, and therapy that includes multiple interventions from the point of diagnosis to address personal need. However, we know that this is not always delivered and where measured in both primary and secondary care, there is stubbornly persistent and unwarranted variation in care. That is, variation in care that is not due to disease variation but provider variation between individuals, offices/clinics, regions and nations. The point of Right Care is to provide the practical advice and support to make it easiest to do the right thing, in your setting.
Visit the following links to access COPD Right Care materials:
- COPD Wheel: An interactive tool to start new conversations about personalising care for people with COPD.
- COPD Question & Challenge Cards: These cards can be used to start conversations between clinical peers, with people with lived experience and with students about COPD, offering information and asking provocative questions to create more awareness of shortcomings in knowledge and understanding about COPD.
- COPD Magazine: An online magazine for people with COPD to support them to self manage their breathing and physical activity. It embeds links to videos our expert team has curated to educate, motivate and inspire.
- Infographics to help self-manage your COPD: Use these infographics for practical tips to self-manage COPD and explain key concepts around physical activity and nutrition.
- What does good quality COPD care look like?
Global State of COPD Report (2024)
The global cost of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is estimated to rise to $4.3 trillion by 2050. But that number does not tell the full story. We should also measure COPD’s human toll: in the many avoidable deaths, the early retirements and the pain experienced by patients and their loved ones.
We need to do more to speak up for the 391M people living with COPD, who are more than just a number.
The Global State of COPD Report calls on governments and healthcare leaders recognise the urgent needs of people suffering from COPD and to implement polices aimed at improving care.
Visit the #SpeakUpforCOPD website to lend your voice to those in need and create change.
Read the publication here.
Download the infographic “COPD: how can we tackle a lung health crisis?” here.
Read the article “It’s time to address this leading cause of death: COPD” here.
The State of COPD country profiles:
The COPD pharmacy toolkit has been developed to support you in efficient identification of at-risk patients and delivering motivational counselling to empower those who would benefit from COPD screening and treatment optimisation, including improved adherence. The goal is to increase the number of currently undiagnosed at-risk patients referred for COPD screening and ensure more patients are diagnosed, and therefore managed earlier, and also that people living with COPD have the best possible outcomes from their treatment to prevent exacerbations.
The COPD toolkit was designed to motivate and support community pharmacy teams to establish or enhance a community-based COPD assessment and management program.
The four core elements aim to upskill pharmacy teams in the value of a standardised approach to COPD and to integrate this program into the pharmacy workflow and collaborate with prescribers to improve care for their patients with COPD.
Toolkit elements
1. COPD Pharmacy Toolkit E-Learning Module:
A learning module that provides foundational knowledge about COPD using a case-based approach. The module draws on guideline directed medical therapy principle where appropriate. Click here to download.
2. COPD Pharmacy Toolkit Assessment Tool:
Conversation-based tool to be used by pharmacists and pharmacy team members (where appropriate) to support counselling patients on the risk of COPD, how to be screened, and/or how to manage the disease.
Click here to download.
3. COPD Pharmacy Toolkit Patient Information Leaflet:
A COPD Handout to be shared by a pharmacist or pharmacy team member with the patient that can be used to summarise the pharmacist-patient interaction and provide supplemental information.
Click here to download.
4. COPD Pharmacy Toolkit Primary Care Referral Letter:
Personalised letter to be sent by pharmacists or pharmacy team members (where appropriate) to the patient’s primary care physician that explains why the pharmacy is reaching out and how to partner to support the patient with COPD.
Click here to download.
COPD Infographic
The infographic is a one-page digital visual aid that serves as a quick reference guide on where, when and why to use the COPD Pharmacy Toolkit in pharmacy practice (with quick links to the toolkit’s practice resources).
Click here to download.
Disclaimer:
These materials are created to support pharmacists in their interactions with patients and do not take into account a particular jurisdiction. The role and the responsibilities which a pharmacist can legitimately perform vary from one country to another. If you consider using these materials in full or in part, please ensure you understand and adhere to the legal and regulatory requirements in your country, including but not limited to the National Drug Act, data privacy legislation, professional code of conduct and any other.
If you are interested in receiving a localised version for your country, which is compliant with the local rules and regulations, please contact us.
These materials were commissioned and funded by AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca have provided an education grant to FIP to raise awareness and dissemination of this toolkit in line with FIPs mission to advance pharmacy worldwide.
This material is intended for pharmacists with an interest in respiratory disease.
