Prof Reddel

Respiratory specialist clinicians are to take part in a NPS MedicineWise webinar on poorly controlled asthma on 1 May.

Professor Helen Reddel of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney will be joined by three other clinicians in a multidisciplinary panel to discuss new asthma therapies and how to identify and manage difficult-to-treat and severe asthma.

“A significant group of people with asthma still have uncontrolled asthma and experience poor outcomes despite high-dose standard therapy. However, recent advances offer hope for improving these outcomes,” a statement from the NPS says.

The discussion will cover topics including how to assess and manage factors that contribute to poor asthma control, including inhaler technique, adherence, co-morbidities and triggers.

Participants will also discuss how to identify patient characteristics for severe, high-risk and uncontrolled asthma who may benefit from timely referral to a specialist.

The webinar will also cover advances in the use of targeted, biologic therapies and how a systematic and multidisciplinary approach can improve health outcomes in people with difficult-to-treat asthma.

Other participants include NSW GP Dr John Fardy, who sits on the National Asthma Council’s GP Asthma Group; Dr Juliet Foster (PhD), a research psychologist with a special interest in disease beliefs and treatment attitudes of people with respiratory disease; and Lesley Vining, an asthma specialist nurse from NSW.