Asthma Right Care update: October 2024
As the Asthma Right Care movement continues to develop and expand, we are pleased to share the latest updates from our country members after our most recent quarterly delivery team meetings in October 2024. Check our Asthma Right Care news feed for previous updates.
Accelerator funding
IPCRG has been running an ’Accelerator Funding’ programme of investment and mentoring of innovative projects with the potential to scale up. We are pleased to share the initial updates from the five country recipients:
- Our team in Portugal has developed an interactive digital ‘asthma escape room’ game, first tested at our World Conference in Athens and shown at the 2024 GRESP congress. An English version is nearing completion.
- Our Portuguese team is also finalising contacts for a school outreach programme, due to commence this academic year.
- In Brazil, our team has met local stakeholders in two cities for a project promoting the idea of “the asthma-friendly city” based on principles of Right Care, correct SABA/ICS usage, disease control and reducing the overuse of emergency services and hospital admissions.
- Tier 3 Teach the Teacher has expanded in Argentina using Asthma Right Care tools. It has now reached four regions (Tucuman, San Juan, Jujuy and Corrientes), which will cover a population of 3.8m people spanning over 1000 primary care centres.
- Colleagues in Greece are testing the implementation and impact of the Reliever Reliance Test among primary care patients and healthcare providers, starting with a focus group of pharmacists.
- A UK pharmacist team has researched how to integrate the Reliever Reliance Test into a community pharmacist pathway, with research to be published soon. The need for translations and explanations to meet local community languages was highlighted.
Country updates
These country updates show the spread of the social movement to more countries and more parts of the system.
Brazil
After a successful round of Tier 3 Teach the Teacher meetings delivered in 2023, one more region has been reached.
Canada
A multi-funded workshop in Atlantic Canada has been held sharing the Asthma Right Care tools in a model that can hopefully be replicated across Canada.
Malaysia
The Malaysian Asthma Right Care team reported on research into SABA over reliance in 8 centres using a translated Reliever Reliance Test, with the aim of setting a baseline for quality improvement. A Tier 2 Teach the Teacher programme was delivered in August 2024 including leaders from the central region, and future plans are being developed for additional teaching in the Sabah and Selangor regions in October-November.
North Macedonia
Colleagues in North Macedonia have been advocating for Right Care principles in asthma care across the Balkan region, addressing the Conference of GPs in Serbia and the Association of General Family Medicine Doctors of South East Europe. The team are testing and improving thei ‘asthma diagnosis jigsaw’ workshops, and developing plans for a COPD Right Care design charrette.
Portugal
Reaching out into the community, our team in Portugal ran further iterations of CaminhAsma and the well-received Peddy Paper (treasure hunt) activity, incorporating citizen engagement. Another initiative has seen the team target children by partnering with local scout groups, delivering a ‘myths and truths’ activity and using giant dice. They have also developed and distributed to GPs 1-minute videos for social media dissemination, and are working on the translation and validation of the Reliever Reliance Test for use in Portugal.
Slovenia
New research from our Slovenian group investigated the frequency of visits to Slovenian family medicine practices by people diagnosed with asthma, analysing a database of 3070 visits. Additionally, the group published about Asthma Right Care in their a family medicine journal.
Spain
Spanish colleagues marked World Asthma Day with an event in Seville, and have worked with Argentinian colleagues to develop new Question & Challenge Cards about pregnancy and asthma, building on research in Argentina. The team has also produced a guide for pharmacists on the correct use of oral corticosteroids and SAMA. Finally, the team looks forward to the 2nd Spanish Asthma Right Care meeting in Palma de Mallorca in November when new interactive games will be launched.
Tunisia
Our Tunisian group continued to advocate for the spread of Asthma Right Care among pulmonologists in the North Africa & Maghreb regions during a meeting in Istanbul, and explaining the value of multidisciplinary, inclusing pharmacists engagement. Additionall, our tools for difficult-to-manage asthma were presented.
UK
Our team in the United Kingdom have produced two new resources that are available to share: top tips for maintenance and reliever therapy (MART) and a MART asthma action plan.
Check our Asthma Right Care news feed for previous updates.