Tag Archives: World Spirometry Day

It is World Spirometry Day!

The COPD treat is worldwide…no border can be blocked against Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – it’s something the medical world and patients battle against together across all borders.

Oman is having their second National Seminar on COPD and is expected to educate 300 or more medical and nursing staff thanks to the joint effort of national experts from Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, the Royal Hospital and the Armed Forces Hospital.  The article follows.

Today, Thursday, 14 October 2010, is World Spirometry Day.

Here is where I don’t like what I’m about to say so if you are a Kitsap County Medical person, please keep reading.

I KNOW the economy is bad.  I KNOW you have a full plate and the government controlled medical compensation picture is disastrous.  BUT!  When will the Kitsap County medical community get involved to educate the public and patients about the lungs?

You’ve got great support groups for cancer and heart disease and I admire Harrison Medical Center’s new cardiopulmonary unit…where do they mention the LUNG education?  They speak of veins and heart.  Well, without the unpopular and poorly funded LUNGS the blood can’t pump through the veins to reach the popular heart.

It is  too bad that Kitsap County medical folks couldn’t get together to offer free screening Spirometry testing for the public today.

The next opportunity is World COPD Day on Wednesday, 17 November 2010.  What will Harrison Medical Center and our area pulmonary physicians offer the public and patients on 17 November 2010?  I don’t know either but I would happily pay an entry fee for an educational seminar to find out.  Most of us would, in my opinion.

Ask your doctor about free screening for Spirometry testing and early detection COPD.

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“Second National Seminar on COPD

Muscat, Oct 12 (ONA))- The Second National Seminar on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) will kick off  at the Conference Hall in Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) after tomorrow (Thursday) under the auspices of Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Executive President of Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB).

The seminar, organized by the Oman Respiratory Society (ORS) in collaborating with SQU College of Medicine and Health Sciences coincides with the World Takes a Breath Day.

The seminar includes scientific lectures in the morning and two workshops in the afternoon. More than 300 medical and nursing staff from the different parts of the Sultanate are expected to take part.

The event is the product of joint efforts of national experts from Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, the Royal Hospital and Armed Forces Hospital.

It is worth mentioning that the first seminar was held in 2005. The current seminar aims at advising participants of the latest developments related to COPD from the clinical and treatment aspects.

—-Ends/MS/KH”

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More later…. Sharon O’Hara

World Spirometry Day

World Spirometry Day

14th October 2010

A worldwide first – free Spirometry checks as part of the worldwide, 2010: The Year of the Lung on 14 October 2010. This first ever global lung function testing event is being supported by the APSR and other members of the Federation of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), to encourage people to get their lungs tested, and to raise awareness about lung health.

Spirometry test

Take a breath

Look at your lungs

The European Lung Foundation (ELF) is coordinating the event and offers material and support for local and national lung health societies. They will also collect data of the number of tests performed, which can be seen (real time) on the Year of the Lung website.

http://www.apsresp.org/archive/yotl2010/spirometry2010.html

The question to ask your health department, what are you doing 14 October 2010 to test the lungs of the taxpayers in your town, county or state?  Ask your health department, as I will ask mine, again.

Kitsap County Health District, what I can do to help you offer free Spirometry to the public on 14 October 2010?

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The AARC folks – respiratory people – are indispensable trained folks for COPDers.  They can be the patient’s new best friend, they ARE the folks who give us the tests to let our doctor know how we are doing. Pulmonary rehab is vital to the COPDers present and future health.

For Kitsap County Harrison Medical Center, Erik Anderson is the guy to talk to … what he doesn’t know respiratory testing usually isn’t worth knowing. He also heads the too infrequent COPD Support Group meetings.  360-792-6686

The American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) is on the March with an alternative way of alerting the public about early detection for COPD.

I asked for and received AARC pamphlets and information to hand out at local doctor offices and the Kitsap County Health Department.

“3.86% of 239000 people in Kitsap county means 9 THOUSAND 2 Hundred people have lung disease. 9,200 are known and potentially 9,200 have some COPD and don’t even know it yet.

There are a lot of people that could benefit from screening!”

Steven Nelson MS RRT FAARC

Associate Executive Director

American Association for Respiratory Care

nelson@aarc.org

+1.972.243.2272 Office

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Kitsap County Health District:  Will you give the citizens of this county Spirometry testing for early detection COPD?

More later… Sharon O’Hara

Part 3 of 4