New asthma guidelines – what’s changed? Free webinar for health professionals

An interdisciplinary webinar on 29 September, presented by NPS MedicineWise and developed in partnership with the National Asthma Council Australia, will discuss the recent changes to asthma guidelines and what they mean in practice.

The free one-hour webinar for GPs, pharmacists and nurses will be broadcast live on Tuesday 29 September 2020, 7:00 – 8:00 pm AEST, with an on-demand recording available shortly afterwards.

Important changes to the way mild asthma can be managed for people aged 12 years and over have been announced with the release of the Australian Asthma Handbook V2.1. Most significant of these is the new indication of an inhaled anti-inflammatory reliever.

Facilitated by NPS MedicineWise medical adviser and general practitioner Dr Jill Thistlethwaite, the webinar will provide information on why this new guideline signals a significant change in how asthma medications can be used for mild asthma. Discussion will cover:

• Australian asthma guideline changes for the management of mild asthma in adults and adolescents (12 years and over).
• Where the changes fit in clinical practice and what they mean for health professionals and consumers.
• Ensuring a patient-centred approach to decision making about treatment options.

“The new guidelines also include a focus on the underuse of preventer medicines by people with asthma and the corresponding over-reliance on reliever medications,” says Dr Thistlethwaite.

“Following the National Asthma Council’s webinar on the launch of the updated Australian Asthma Handbook on Sept 1, this webinar focuses on what this update means for clinical practice,” she says.

The webinar panel includes a GP - Professor Amanda Barnard (Chair of the Australian Asthma Handbook Guidelines Committee); an Advanced Practice Pharmacist - Debbie Rigby; a registered nurse and asthma and respiratory educator – Marg Gordon, and a consumer representative - Rebecca Edwards.

Participation in the webinar counts as a CPD activity for GPs, pharmacists and accredited nurses.

To find out more and to register for the 29 September webinar, go to the NPS MedicineWise website.

Registrations close 28 September.