Nursing Sig – Oral Presentations

Abstract

Aim:To determine the prevalence and severity of respiratory and sleep disorders in the adult, indigenous remote communities of the Northern Territory. Method: Data was obtained from four remote communities visited by the Respiratory Outreach Clinic service from February 2010-October 2012. Data obtained included demographic characteristics, smoking status, diagnosis and investigation results. Results: 88 patients were reviewed during the above period. The age range was from 17-80 years, with a mean age of 55 years. 74% patients were either current or ex-smokers. 53/88 patients were diagnosed with COPD and 15/88 diagnosed with asthma. 7/88 patients had bronchiectasis alone and 22/88 patients were diagnosed with COPD and bronchiectasis. 6 patients were diagnosed with sleep disordered breathing. 52% of patients had documented chest x-ray findings and only 17% had documented CT chest results. 34/88 patients had documented spirometry results. Of the 53 patients with COPD, 19 had documented spirometry results and 74% were recorded as severe obstruction. 29 patients had undergone transthoracic echocardiogram and 12/29 showed evidence of pulmonary hypertension. Conclusion: Preliminary data from this audit indicates COPD and asthma are common respiratory conditions amongst the remote indigenous population. The prevalence of current and ex-smokers is also high. Our preliminary results show that access to investigations such as lung function testing and imaging is limited which is a significant barrier to identification of respiratory disorders and accurate diagnosis in this population. The complete set of data in all other communities visited by the Respiratory outreach service will be presented at the conference. TO 002 DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE: A RESOURCE FOR THOSE WITH COPD WARD S, DONNELLY C Hawkes Bay District Health BoardAim: To produce an evidence based e-book primarily for individuals with a diagnosis of COPD, or for those requiring further support and information on this chronic disease. This literature was to be readily available free of charge or at minimal cost. Methods: Content was agreed upon by the authors, the workload was divided with specialities delegated to colleagues. Google Docs was used as a live document between the authors with regular Skype meetings to discuss direction and time frame. Clients of the Hawkes Bay District health Board pulmonary rehabilitation group were selected to proof read as were colleagues. Results: Don't Forget to Breathe is now in its second edition, and is freely available via the website www.dontforgettobreathe.org.nz. It is published under a creative commons licence to enable people to copy and share the work as widely as possible.It has been downloaded in 32 countries globally. Each GP practice throughout Hawkes Bay has at least one copy to use as a teaching aid, as well as hospital wards and physiotherapy departments.A link is available on the following websites. www.hbdhb.govt.nz, www.cdhb.health.nz; www.healthnavigator.org.nz Permission has been requested from both US a...