About Lung Foundation Australia’s COPD National Program

The COPD National Program provides a strategic focus on the following areas:

  • Promotion of early diagnosis of COPD:
    • Increasing community awareness of risk factors and symptoms
    • Encouraging health professionals to undertake regular risk assessment and screening
    • Community education sessions
  • Promotion of accurate diagnosis with spirometry
  • Reducing the impact of COPD by promotion of:
    • Pulmonary Rehabilitation and ongoing maintenance exercise
    • Self-management strategies for patients
  • Provision of Guidelines, Education, Training and Clinical Resources for health professionals for the diagnosis and management of patients with COPD​
  • Education and support for patients:
    • Information and Support Centre
    • Toll-free 1800 number
    • Patient Education days
    • Patient support groups
    • Fact sheets and information booklets
    • Web-based training
    • Lung Care nurse
  • Research grants
  • Advocating policy changes for equitable access to services for people with COPD

 

Expert health professionals volunteer through committees to provide clinical guidance to the COPD National Program and a small team (3.2FTE) within the Lung Foundation:

  • Director, COPD National Program
  • Project Manager – Primary Care
  • Program Manager – Lungs in Action and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
  • COPD-X Guidelines Executive Officer
  • Project Officer

 

The COPD National program is also supported by many patient and health professional volunteers who provide localised support to the above initiatives by mentoring and upskilling health professionals, running support groups and raising awareness in the community.

The COPD National program does not receive ongoing government funding and relies on funding through sponsorships, donations and competitive grants. A large portion of program sponsorships are from unconditional education grants from pharmaceutical companies.