Volume 1, Number 4, September 2007

EDITORIALEditorial
Jan Procter-King

It’s birthday celebrations all round. We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the General Practice Airways Group (GPIAG). Founded in 1987 as a small respiratory special-interest group of six general practitioners, the GPIAG has developed and grown into the largest primary care specialist society in the UK. It is also coming up to the first birthday of the journal – and we are hoping that we are giving you a useful ‘goody bag’ of ‘party gifts’ to take back to your practice after reading this issue.

POPULAR
TOPICEVIDENCE IN PRACTICEEvidence in Practice

NEWSNews from Education for Health

POPULAR
TOPICNEWSNews from General Practice Airways Group (GPIAG)

20 YEARS OF INSPIRATION

DISEASE FOCUSRespiratory Infections: How to Minimise the Impact
Mark Levy

Accurate diagnosis of respiratory tract infection can be difficult in primary care, particularly in older patients. Time constraints meaning that most consultations allow less than six minutes to deal with patients’ clinical problems – with much of the time devoted to achieving political and financially driven targets – can make it even more difficult. In this article, we provide practical tips on how to recognise and treat common respiratory infections.

POPULAR
TOPICBACK TO BASICSHow do Dry Powder Inhalers (DPIs) Work?

PREVENTION IN PRACTICESeven Steps to a Successful Flu Vaccination Campaign
Julie Crookdake

Planning a flu vaccination campaign during the autumn is always a difficult concept to take on board. But, from experience, the earlier you plan a campaign, the more successful it will be. Adequate planning and organisation will ease the pressure on all members of the team during a very busy period. It will also ensure that all patients in the ‘at risk’ groups are vaccinated and targets achieved. This article gives seven easy steps for a stress-free flu vaccination campaign.

POPULAR
TOPICMONITORINGSelf-Management in Asthma
Iain Small, Ruth MacArthur

Good self-management is obviously a central part of achieving effective control of any chronic condition. It is particularly important in asthma to help patients manage exacerbations, which can sometimes develop with little warning and with serious consequences. This article provides a step-by-step guide to developing effective selfmanagement plans for patients with asthma by providing practical solutions to key questions underpinning the process.

POPULAR
TOPICPOINTS MEAN PRIZESScoring Top QOF Points for COPD
Mandy Walsh

THERAPEUTICS REVEWMaking Sense of Drug Allergy: What Goes Wrong and Why
Samantha Walker, Alexandra Croom

Allergic or other immunological mechanisms are thought to account for 6-20% of all adverse drug reactions, but in most cases the mechanism is unclear. This article provides an in-depth review of drug allergy – adverse drug reactions with a known immunological mechanism or with clinical features that mimic an immunological reaction.

PATIENTS AS PARTNERSGetting it Right: Asthma Devices in Children
Peggy Sherwood

Asthma medications should routinely be delivered by a pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI) and spacer system, with a facemask where necessary, in children under five, according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).1 For older children, aged 5-15 years, NICE has advised that a child’s therapeutic needs, the ability to develop and maintain an effective technique, the suitability of a device for the child’s and carer’s lifestyles (ie portability and convenience) and the likelihood of good compliance are the factors that should govern the choice of device.2 Only once these factors have been taken into account, should choice be made on the basis of cost minimisation.

HAVE YOU HEARD?Have you Heard?

RESEARCH MADE EASYResearch Made Easy
Jane Upton