Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD) in Primary Care Settings (FutureLearn)

Explore how to treat chronic respiratory disease

Chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) place a huge burden on healthcare services worldwide, as recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO).

On the course, you’ll explore the physical, psychological, and social impact of chronic respiratory diseases on the individual, their family, and the wider community.

Improve your diagnostic skills

You’ll demonstrate an improved ability as a healthcare professional to diagnose and manage asthma, COPD, and other chronic respiratory diseases in children and adults.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to assess how to adapt your advice to the local context – taking into account your access to staff, care, and treatment in terms of the availability of local resources.

Learn to treat asthma and COPD alongside experts

The course is led by RESPIRE at the University of Edinburgh, and the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG). RESPIRE is led by global experts in respiratory disease, while IPCRG is a world network of primary care respiratory clinicians that works to improve respiratory health and CRD best practice.

Under their guidance, you’ll come away with increased confidence in your diagnostic skills and your ability to manage the healthcare resources available to you.

What topics will you cover?

Module 1: The global burden of chronic respiratory disease

Module 2: Diagnosis and management of asthma in resource-poor settings

Module 3: Diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in resource-poor settings

Module 4: Diagnosis and management of other chronic respiratory disease common in resource-poor settings

Module 5: Top tips for implementing care for people with chronic respiratory disease in resource-poor settings

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Understand the physical, psychological and social impact of chronic respiratory diseases on the individual, their family and community

- Demonstrate improved skills in the diagnosis and management of asthma, COPD and other chronic respiratory disease in children and adults

- Demonstrate improved skills in communicating and supporting patients with asthma, COPD and other CRDs to live with their condition (often in the context of multi-morbidity)

- Assess how to adapt advice to the local context, taking account of the global variation in access to care and treatment, and workforce

- Assess how to individualise the management of care in terms of affordability and availability of resources