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Community Pharmacy

Lung Foundation Australia recognises the important role of pharmacy in the community and across the continuum of care. Work in this area includes promoting lung health, COPD screening and risk assessment, and disease management.

To support this role the Lung Foundation has developed a range of resources to support pharmacists in their work with community and patients with lung disease.

Promoting Lung Health

Pharmacy has an opportunity to get involved in the promotion of lung health in a number of different ways. Why not start an in-store promotion by distributing the Lung Health Checklist or providing a pamphlet about the Lung Foundation with an inhaler device prescription. Your pharmacy can also participant in community awareness raising events such as ‘Show us your Lungs Day’ or ‘World COPD Day’. There are a range of resources and fact sheets available for patients that can be downloaded from the website or ordered using our resource order form. To find out more click on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resources to Order

Fact Sheets

Support groups in your area 

Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs in your area

Events

COPD Screening and risk assessment

Lung Foundation Australia supports targeted COPD case-finding in the community using COPD Screening devices.

The main aim of targeted COPD case-finding with a COPD screening device is to identify those at risk of COPD and avoid unnecessary spirometry in those with normal lung function.

  • Such an approach will identify ‘at-risk’ individuals for standard diagnostic spirometry who are likely to benefit from early intervention and disease management.
  • These individuals should be recommended to see their local general practitioner for full assessment and diagnosis and, if appropriate, encouraged to commence preventative strategies, such as quitting smoking, that may stop or slow the onset of COPD.
  • This approach will have the added benefit of raising awareness of lung health in the community and ensuring that individuals take the symptoms of lung disease seriously.

The Lung Foundation has a number of resources that can support pharmacy in the use of these devices. To find out more about how COPD screening might be used in community pharmacy visit the page on the Lung Foundation website, COPD Screening Devices in the Community.

On the COPD Screening Devices in the Community website page you will be able to access:

  • A Pharmacy case study: see how one pharmacy has implemented a screening program
  • The Lung Foundation position paper to support COPD screening
  • COPD Screening results form for use in Pharmacy
  • COPD Screening Device Training Video
  • Screening Flowchart
  • Instruction sheets for using Piko-6 and COPD
  • Order forms to purchase a Piko-6

Disease Management & Training

A new online training program is currently being developed for pharmacy to increase the knowledge, confidence and skills of pharmacists on how to:

  • Promote lung health
  • Implement a COPD screening and disease management service within the pharmacy practice
  • Work effectively with other members of the multi-disciplinary health care team for patients with COPD
  • Educate patients on COPD
  • Educate patients on evidence-based COPD management
  • Participate in the management of COPD patients
  • Motivate patients to engage in self-management practices for COPD, including the quality use of medicines

This training is being developed in consultation with peak pharmacy organisations, COPD clinical experts and pharmacists working in community pharmacy.

To be included on a mailing list to receive more information about the training, email enquiries@lungfoundation.com.au or call 1800 654 301.

Resources

There are numerous resources available to assist in your work with COPD patients. These include both patient and clinical resources.

Resources for patients:

Resources for health professionals:

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