COPD  

Assessment and Management Guidelines             

The Australian Lung Foundation (ALF) provides clinical resources to support general practice in the diagnosis and management of COPD.
Click on General Practice COPD Resources for links to:

• 2009 COPDX Guidelines comprehensive best practice guidelines for diagnosis and management of COPD

• COPD Action Plan Template - designed to be completed by clinician and patient together.  PDF   MD   BP  

• The COPD Algorithm - an Asthma versus COPD aid to diagnosis.

• Pack years calculator for working out lifetime tobacco exposure.

Spirometry               

The Resource Respiratory Laboratory (Hobart) is willing to answer questions about purchasing a spirometer and to provide advice on spirometry measurement.
Contact: Respiratory Function Laboratory, Royal Hobart Hospital - Phone 6222 7323

Click here for a Spirometry presentation by Dr Richard Wood-Baker

The National Asthma Council provide a number of spirometry resources for health professionals.
Click on Sprirometry Audio-Visual Resources for links to:

• Performing Spirometry in General Practice - a video presentation

• Spirometry Handbook - an introductory guide to clinical practice. The online version has search functions to make it quick and easy for GPs to find the information they are seeking.

• Spirometer Users' and Buyers' Guide - aims to give GPs and others performing lung function testing all the essentials on fundamental aspects of lung function testing. The second half of the guide deals with the selection of a spirometer - all those in the list of currently available spirometers meet the ANZSRS and American Thoracic Society criteria.

Inhaler Technique             Top of page

Inhaler Technique in Adults with Asthma or COPD - detailed information paper by the National Asthma Council of Australia, with checklists & common errors for different types of inhalers.

Referral Information and Support Groups

Smoking Cessation

• IPCRG OPINION 3 - Helping patients quit smoking: brief interventions for healthcare professionals A desktop helper for practitioners on brief interventions for smoking cessation.

• QUIT Tasmania, with patient resources and on-line Quit Coach. Referral Templates:   MD   BP  

• Smoking cost calculator to help patients work out how much money they would save by giving up. 

Pulmonary rehabilitation

Any COPD patient can be referred to the CardioPulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic at the RHH. There is a waiting list.
Use the RHH clinic referral form and add spirometry results and any other relevant test results.

Improve exercise capacity

• Heart Foundation Walking Groups - Website detailing the network of free community-based walking groups, led by volunteer Walk Organisers. Every walking group is different - they vary in the number of members, and levels of difficulty and meet at a variety of times and days of the week. Everyone is encouraged to walk at their own pace.

• Get Moving Tasmania - Walking Groups  Searchable database of walking groups by area or suburb. Information includes details of times, distances, walk difficulty and coordinators contact information.

• Heart Moves - Heart Foundation exercise advice.

• See also other healthy lifestyle resources on our Prevention page

Support self-management

Patient Support Groups in Tasmania for people with a lung condition and their carers/family.

Resources for Patients             Top of page

The Australian Lung Foundation have available for download a range of information leaflets to help patients learn more about respiratory diseases and better lung health, including:

• Breathe Easier - Your Guide to COPD - brochure explaining to a newly diagnosed patient what COPD is and things that they can do to improve their symptoms, stay active and out of hospital.

• Better Living with COPD - A patient guide - comprehensive handbook providing detailed information about the lungs, COPD and how a patient with COPD can help themselves to stay as well as possible. Available online by chapter or copies can be ordered from The Australian Lung Foundation.

• Pulmonary Rehabilitation - outlines the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation.

• Lung Function Tests

• Home Oxygen Treatment 

The National Asthma Council have short film clips demonstrating how to use the main types of inhalers prescribed in Australia: How to use your inhaler.

Resources for Practices             Top of page

• Surgery display resources available on order from the Australian Lung Foundation include:

  • Feeling short of breath? - display flyer outlining a simple checklist of COPD symptoms.

  • Would this knock the wind out of you? - COPD Symptom Check list

  • Quitting Smoking at any age is beneficial - graph developed by Fletcher and Peto. depicting the gradual loss of lung function in a person who has never smoked compared to the more rapid loss of lung function in a smoker. Also shows the benefits of quitting smoking in terms of potential years of life gained.

• GP South's checklist for creating a COPD register using the PEN Clinical Audit Tool

• Sample letters inviting patients with COPD and patients at risk to make an appointment for review  

• GP South's guidelines for reviewing patients from your COPD register and patients at risk 

Research and further references             

• Click here for a Managing COPD in General Practice  presentation by Dr Richard Wood-Baker

• The Australian and New Zealand COPD Reference Site

• Dr Gary Parkes (GP), Professor Trisha Greenhaigh, Mark Griffin & Dr Richard Dent (Consultant Chest Physician) Effect on smoking quit rate of telling patients their lung age: the Step2quit randomised controlled trial  _{BMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmj.39503.582396.25, (Published 6 March 2008)}

• International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) COPD Resources 

  • IPCRG OPINION 5 - Early Diagnosis of COPD does help!  _{(Nov. 2009)}

• Australian Family Physician, Vol 39 March 2010 - Focus on Chronic Respiratory Disease

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