Characteristics of patients making serious inhaler errors with a dry powder inhaler and association with asthma-related events in a primary care setting

Acknowledgements The iHARP database was funded by unrestricted grants from Mundipharma International Ltd and Research in Real-Life Ltd; these analyses were funded by an unrestricted grant from Teva Pharmaceuticals. Mundipharma and Teva played no role in study conduct or analysis and did not modify or approve the manuscript. The authors wish to direct a special appreciation to all the participants of the iHARP group who contributed data to this study and to Mundipharma, sponsors of the iHARP group. In addition, we thank Julie von Ziegenweidt for assistance with data extraction and Anna Gilchrist and Valerie L. Ashton, PhD, for editorial assistance. Elizabeth V. Hillyer, DVM, provided editorial and writing support, funded by Research in Real-Life, Ltd.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Burden of Self-Reported Rhinitis and Associated Risk for Exacerbations with Moderate-Severe Asthma in Primary Care Patients

Acknowledgments: The iHARP database was funded by unrestricted grants from Mundipharma International Limited and Optimum Patient Care Global Ltd, which is a social enterprise that focuses on quality improvement in clinical practice. The sponsor was not involved in data analysis or the interpretation of the results.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A multinational observational study identifying primary care patients at risk of overestimation of asthma control

The International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) has facilitated the publication of this paper. The iHARP database was funded by unrestricted grants from Mundipharma International Limited and Optimum Patient Care Global Ltd, which is a social enterprise that focuses on quality improvement in clinical practice. The sponsor was not involved in data analysis or the interpretation of the results.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Et bedre liv med KOLS: Erfaringer med en lavterskelmodell for lungerehabilitering i kommunehelsetjenesten

Hensikt: Beskrive erfaringer med en interprofesjonell lavterskelmodell for lungerehabilitering i kommunehelsetjenesten, sett med pasienter og fagpersoners øyne. Design og metode: Kvalitativt design med fokusgruppeintervju. Materiale: 20 pasienter, 10 kvinner og 10 menn, med gjennomsnittsalder på 71,4 år Funn: Det er behov for mer kunnskap om KOLS i kommunehelsetjenesten. Tilbud om oppfølging og henvisningsrutiner fra fastlegene er mangelfulle. Prosjektet har bidratt til å utvikle pasientkompetanse gjennom styrket opplevelse av egenkontroll og mestringsevne, samt gitt pasientene flere verktøy til å håndtere symptomer. Nye erfaringer med kroppen har endret pasientenes holdninger til egen sykdom og bidratt til en bedre hverdag og en lysere tro på fremtiden, men det er fortsatt en utfordring for mange å skulle fortsette å trene på egenhånd Konklusjon: Interprofesjonelle lavterskel rehabiliteringstilbud i regi av kommunehelsetjenesten viser lovende resultater, både med hensyn til gjennomførbarhet og gevinster for deltakerne. Rehabiliterings-tilbudet og fellesskapet i treningsgruppen har bidratt til trivsel, trygghet og bedret arbeidskapasitet i hverdagen. Det er utfordrende for personer med KOLS å klare å opprettholde gevinstene uten en eller annen form for oppfølging

Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or both? Diagnostic labeling and spirometry in primary care patients aged 40 years or more

To describe symptoms and lung function in patients registered with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care and to examine how spirometry findings fit with general practitioners’ (GPs) diagnoses. Patients aged ≥40 years with a diagnosis of asthma or COPD registered in the electronic medical record during the previous 5 years were recruited at seven GP offices in Norway in 2009–2010. Registered diagnosis, spirometry results, comorbidity, and reported symptoms were compared. Among 376 patients, 62% were women. Based on Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases criteria, a spirometry diagnosis of COPD could be made in 68.1% of the patients with a previous COPD diagnosis and in 17.1% of those diagnosed with asthma only (P < 0.001). The κ agreement between last clinical diagnosis of COPD and COPD based on spirometry was 0.50. A restrictive spirometry pattern was found in 19.4% and more frequently in patients diagnosed with both asthma and COPD (23.9%) than in patients diagnosed with COPD only (6.8%, P = 0.003). Conclusion: The ability of GPs to differentiate between asthma and COPD seems to have considerably improved during the last decade, probably due to the dissemination of spirometry and guidelines for COPD diagnosis. A diagnosis of COPD that cannot be confirmed by spirometry represents a challenge in clinical practice, in particular when a restrictive pattern on spirometry is found

The International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) Research Needs Statement 2010

Respiratory diseases are a public health issue throughout the world, with high prevalence and morbidity. This Research Needs Statement from the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) aims to highlight unanswered questions on the management of respiratory diseases that are of importance to practising primary care clinicians. Methods: An informal but inclusive consultation process was instigated in 2009. Draft statements in asthma, rhinitis, COPD, tobacco dependence, and respiratory infections were circulated widely to IPCRG members, other recognised experts, and representatives from a range of economic and healthcare backgrounds. An iterative process was used to generate, prioritise and refine research questions in each section.status: publishe

Utvikling av indikatorer på NCD området knyttet til rapportering for den globale og nasjonale NCD strategien

Norge har sluttet seg til WHO sitt mål om 25% reduksjon 2010 til 2025 i for tidlig død som følge av de fire ikke-smittsomme sykdommene (noncommunicale disease, NCD); kreft, hjerte- og karsykdom, diabetes og kronisk lungesykdom. Bakgrunnen er at disse fire sykdomsgruppene langt på vei kan forebygges ved å redusere de fire felles risikofaktorene røyking, usunn kost, stillesitting og skadelig bruk av alkohol. I alt 25 indikatorer er definert i den globale NCD-strategien. En norsk NCD-strategi er vedtatt. Folkehelseinstituttet fikk i 2016 i oppdrag fra Helse og omsorgsdepartementet i samarbeid med Helsedirektoratet å bidra til utvikling av indikatorer på NCD området knyttet til rapporterering av den globale og nasjonale NCD-strategien. Folkehelseinstituttet skal primært arbeide med rapporteringen av indikatorene knyttet opp mot NCD sykdommene og risikofaktorene, og Helsedirektoratet skal primært rette sitt NCD arbeid inn mot helsetjenesten