New Spirometry event in Barcelona and Quit Smoking With Barça

Dear Respiratory Friends we are happy to invite you in Barcelona!!!

Barcelona town centre will play host to a free lung function testing event, organised by the European Respiratory Society and European Lung Foundation, as part of this year's Congress.

The event, which is being organised in conjunction with FC Barcelona and the European Commission's "Ex-Smokers are unstoppable" campaign, will encourage the public to score a goal for lung health by participating in a free lung test.

In addition to lung function testing, visitors will have the chance to sign up to the 'Quit Smoking With Barça' programme; a unique smoking cessation programme developed by FC Barcelona and the European Commission (EC), which is helping more than 60,000 smokers across Europe stop smoking.

Come to Plaça de la Universitat on Friday 6 or Saturday 7 September, from 10.00 until 20.00 to support the event and help us encourage even more people to keep their lungs healthy and kick the habit.

The MDR-TB Time bomb: Identifying the real risk of drug resistant tuberculosis in Europe

Today we are sharing with you video about tuberculosis produced by European Respiratory Society!

A critical update from Europe's leading specialists on the increasing threat of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Using the latest statistics and patient experiences the film highlights the risk to the European population and the region's health systems.

Experts in the field of TB share their recommendations, investigate on-going inspirational initiatives and call on all stakeholders in respiratory medicine to take action to manage the disease and the factors that contribute to its progress in the community.

Future of sleep medicine

President of American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) M. Safwan Badr speaks about the challenges and opportunities the AASM and the field of sleep medicine will face in the coming year. Dr. Badr speaks about the impact of the Affordable Care Act, the move towards an integrated care model and the AASM’s overall strategic plan
 

Welcome to CIPP XII (International Congress on Pediatric Pulmonology)

Dear Respiratory friends we are happy to invite you on CIPP XII (International Congress on Pediatric Pulmonology)
"Our meeting - CIPP - is the only global meeting that is fully devoted to pediatric pulmonology. In order to catch up with the scientific development in our field, the meeting has been held as an annual event. Unlike many other similar scientific meetings, we have speakers from all parts of the globe regardless of the socio-economic development such that we can learn from each other the best ways of caring children with respiratory problems"
-Gary Wong, MD
President, CIPP XII

You Can Control Your Asthma on World Asthma Day 2013

World Asthma Day 2013, organized and sponsored by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), will be held on May 7, 2013 as a partnership between health care groups and asthma educators to raise awareness about asthma and improve asthma care throughout the world.

The theme of World Asthma Day 2013 will be “You Can Control Your Asthma.” This year’s event continues the focus on this positive theme established over the past several years, and is consistent with the emphasis on asthma control set out in the latest versions of the GINA documents.

The event will also will also introduce a sub-theme, "It's Time to Control Asthma." Activity organizers around the world are encouraged to complete the sentence, "It's Time to..." as relevant to their event and target audience.

Asthma control is the goal of treatment and can be achieved in the vast majority of asthma patients with proper management.  A person’s asthma is under control when he or she has:

• No (or minimal) asthma symptoms. 
• No waking at night due to asthma.
• No (or minimal) need to use “reliever” medication.
• The ability to do normal physical activity and exercise.
• Normal (or near-normal) lung function test results (PEF and FEV₁).
• No (or very infrequent) asthma attacks.

A strategy for achieving and maintaining asthma control is set out in the GINA Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention.  The strategy requires four interrelated components of therapy:

·        Develop patient/doctor partnership.

·        Identify and reduce exposure to risk factors.

·        Assess, treat, and monitor asthma.

·        Manage asthma exacerbations.

Under this strategy, asthma is treated in a stepwise manner to achieve and maintain control of the disease.  Medication is increased—“stepped up”—when asthma is not controlled, and gradually stepped down once good control is achieved and maintained for a period of time.

World Asthma Day 2013 activities, many of which will be aimed at identifying and addressing opportunities for improved control of asthma, will be arranged within each country.  Examples include: 

-     Posters, billboards, stickers, newspaper articles and radio advertisements highlighting the messages that You Can Control Your Asthma and It’s Time to Control Asthma, the campaign to reduce asthma hospitalizations, and ways to achieve asthma control.

-     World Asthma Day 2013 musical concerts with performances from local people with asthma playing woodwind and brass instruments

-     Awards ceremonies for artwork, athletic contests, and stories of achievements realized from good asthma care

-     Clinics and health fairs to bring attention to asthma and provide information about reaching and maintaining asthma control.

The first World Asthma Day, in 1998, was celebrated in more than 35 countries in conjunction with the first World Asthma Meeting held in Barcelona, Spain. Participation has increased with each World Asthma Day since then, and the day has become one of the world’s most important asthma awareness and education events.

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS RECOMMENDS THE DOCTORS DO NOT ACCEPT REQUESTS FOR FRIENDSHIP OF PATIENTS BY NETWORKS

Physicians should avoid accepting as "friend" requests from former or current patients through social networks, according to a new statement issued by the American College of Physicians (ACP), together with Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) at its annual meeting in the U.S., last Friday. Pages business or group medical practices are acceptable, but doctors should keep this separate from their personal pages.

While social networks may provide benefits in the doctor-patient relationship, they can also present ethical problems. In a survey of state boards of health in the U.S., 92% received complaints about the behavior of the doctors on the Internet, which led to actions including revocation of license.

According to the document, the physician should respect five principles:
- Protect the confidence, confidentiality, privacy and respect in online communications with patients;
- Maintain professional and social spheres independent online but act professionally in both
- Use e-mail and other electronic communications only in doctor-patient relationships established;
- Make a "self-audit" to determine the periodic accuracy of the information available online;
- Be aware that online postings may have other implications for their professional lives.

Do you agree with these principles?

World Allergy Week 2013

Dear Respiratory Friends this week is World Allergy Week 2013!!!

Professor Ruby Pawankar, President of the World Allergy Organization (WAO), and Professor Motohiro Ebisawa, Chair of the WAO Communications Council, warmly welcome WAO Member Societies to World Allergy Week 2013 (8-14 April). This year’s theme is “Food Allergy—A Rising Global Health Problem”, and there are many ways Member Societies can participate to help highlight food allergies, provide information about the their increasing prevalence, and explain the need for enhanced education and patient care services to improve safey, prevention, and quality of life.

Anyone can become allergic, even you. No matter what's your job, age or living are - we are sensitive people and allergy is not looking at our profession.  

It’s Allergyweek in Finland!