13 November 2006
Asthma sufferers in Gippsland are set to benefit from the launch on Tuesday 14 November of an educational package aimed at improving the outcomes of people experiencing an asthma attack.
The 'Ambulances for Asthma' project has been developed by researchers at Monash University's Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice, with funding from The Asthma Foundations of Australia, to help people who are having an asthma attack better assess when to call '000'.
Although asthma-related deaths in Australia have dropped from 969 in 1989 to 314 in 2003, Monash University project coordinator Ms Lee Boyd said that this number was still unacceptable as most of the deaths were preventable. Delays in accessing medical assistance and underestimations of asthma severity had been linked to many of these cases, she said.
"A key element of the 'Ambulances for Asthma' project is the development of an interactive website that aims to provide timely information to help people assess the seriousness of their situation and whether to call an ambulance," Ms Boyd said.
The site also encourages people in rural and remote areas to have an active asthma plan and walks them through the '000' process including an audio recording of an actual emergency call.
The program has been developed following outcomes from two previous studies into the use of ambulances for asthma cases in rural areas, conducted by Monash University and funded by the Department of Health and Ageing. The studies revealed that there were several barriers to ambulance use at a community level. People in rural areas tended to drive themselves or family members to hospital during severe asthma incidents instead of using the ambulance service.
"Some of the reasons for this included concerns that the paramedics would be unable to locate their rural property, a distrust of the '000' process, underestimating asthma severity and not appreciating how well ambulance paramedics are trained or how the drugs they carry can treat asthma," Ms Boyd said.
In addition, an investigation into patients who did call '000' for asthma during the study period found that paramedic care was excellent and improved patient outcomes.
The Ambulances for Asthma program and website will be launched in Bairnsdale at Rural Ambulance Victoria, 107 Main Street, Bairnsdale on Tuesday, 14 November at 11 am.
For further information contact Ms Leanne Boyd on +61 3 9904 4264.
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