Improving Childhood Asthma Management in Inner West Melbourne

Improving Childhood Asthma Management in Inner West Melbourne

The National Asthma Council Australia has launched two locally tailored education packages to tackle the burden of asthma in Melbourne’s inner west.

• Improving Childhood Asthma Management in Inner West Melbourne (Primary Health Care)

This online clinical education package has been developed specifically for general practitioners, practice nurses, pharmacists and allied health providers based in the inner western suburbs, an area that ranks highest in the state for emergency department presentations for asthma and wheeze in paediatric and adolescent patients.

For every age group in the zero to 19-year age range, children and adolescents from the inner west present to hospitals for asthma and wheeze at higher rates than the Victorian metropolitan average.

The primary health care education package will help to address the variation in clinical knowledge, interest and capacity to deliver quality asthma care among general practitioners, pharmacists, maternal child health nurses and education providers in the inner west. It details the latest guidelines for infant wheeze, paediatric and adolescent asthma from 1-5 years, 6-11 years and 12-19 years.

• Childhood Asthma Guide for Inner West Melbourne (Schools and Sports Clubs)

The education package for school and clubs will help equip local education settings and sports clubs with the knowledge and tools to provide high quality asthma care to children and adolescents. Schools play a valuable role in asthma management – particularly through asthma action plans, asthma first aid training and school nursing.

Coaches, trainers, swimming instructors and other volunteers have an important role to play in understanding asthma and its management within the sports and community setting. The package focuses on identifying and managing asthma in children and adolescents 5 -19 years old, including:

• Identifying signs and symptoms of asthma
• Identifying asthma triggers and those triggers specific to Melbourne’s inner west
• Utilising written asthma action plans and provide effective asthma management
• Identifying the signs of an asthma emergency and how to provide first aid treatment for an asthma attack.

Read more in the media releases:

• Improving Childhood Asthma Management in Inner West Melbourne (Primary Health Care)
• Childhood Asthma Guide for Inner West Melbourne (Schools and Sports Clubs)

The National Asthma Council Australia education packages are part of the Improving Childhood Asthma Management Inner West Program, funded by the Victorian Government and delivered in partnership with National Asthma Council Australia, Asthma Australia, cohealth, Royal Children’s Hospital and Safer Care Victoria.