About IPCRG:



The IPCRG is a charitable organisation that provides an international umbrella for national primary care respiratory interest groups. We are committed to improving the care of people with respiratory problems commonly found in the community, such as asthma, COPD, allergic rhinitis, smoking and respiratory tract infections. We believe that the best place to diagnose and treat most of these people is in the community where they live and work, and that the best way to do this is through the provision of high quality primary and community care. Our ambition is to research the most effective ways for this to happen safely and reliably in all our member countries and to disseminate our findings widely through education, publications and networking.

Our research community is a powerful network of primary care innovators, early adopters and key opinion leaders in the field of respiratory medicine. We have a strong focus on new multi-national collaborative research that investigates "real life" such as the issues of co-morbidity, smoking, inadequate concordance and health beliefs about asthma and COPD. Our current research needs statement is published at www.theipcrg.org/resneeds/resneeds.php [currently being updated]. The IPCRG looks to find practical brief solutions to these problems such as short questionnaires, brief educational interventions and feedback to patients and clinicians. We conduct our work through our biennial conference (932 primary care clinicians attended Seville, 28-31 May 2008) and projects and are managed by our members, communicating mainly electronically.

The IPCRG values collaboration with other patient and professional groups such as the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients Associations (EFA) with whom we work closely - EFA is an associate member of IPCRG, and the European Respiratory Society Primary Care Group. We are also a member of the WHO's Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD) and an Organisation in Collaborative Relations with Wonca, the global family doctor association.

The IPCRG has a peer-reviewed, Medline-listed journal, the Primary Care Respiratory Journal in which we have published the international primary care respiratory guidelines for healthcare professionals: IPCRG Guidelines for the Management of Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Primary Care. Volume 15 Issue 1 February 2006 www.thepcrj.org/journ/guidelines.php


Further information about the IPCRG can be found on our website: www.theipcrg.org


Some of our recent peer-reviewed publications include:

• Can asthma control be improved by understanding the patient's perspective?
  http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2466/7/8



• The IPCRG Guidelines for the Management of Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Primary Care
  www.thepcrj.org/journ/guidelines.php



• Improving outcomes for asthma patients with allergic rhinitis: the Metaforum conferences
  www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2466/6/S1/S1



• With Ga2Len, Primary care: the cornerstone of diagnosis of allergic rhinitis
  (DOI: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2008.01653.x)



• EPOS Primary Care Guidelines: European Position Paper on the Primary Care Diagnosis and Management of Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps 2007 - a summary
  (DOI: 10.3132/pcrj.2008.00029)

IPCRG material promoted by the Global Alliance Against Chronic Respiratory Diseases:

www.theipcrg.org/mail/viewemail.php?list_id=1&email_id=98


   
For further enquiries please contact:

Sam Louw, Business Manager, +44 (0)1224 552427 sam.knowles@abdn.ac.uk or
Siân Williams, Executive Officer +44 (0)7980 541664 sianandhahn@blueyonder.co.uk