IPCRG and WONCA

The IPCRG is the Special Interest Group (SIG) for Respiratory Care for the global family doctor association WONCA Europe and an Organisation in Collaborative Relations with WONCA global.  We run the respiratory programme at WONCA Europe meetings, and are tasked with offering advice to WONCA Europe on respiratory matters.  The World Book of Family Medicine published by WONCA Europe in December 2020 (see resources below) includes a summary of the major issues for primary respiratory care, and also a summary of IPCRG.

We have also run sessions at WONCA World eg in Rio, 2016.  Miguel Roman, an IPCRG Past President was elected in 2012 as European Doctor of the Year, a competition run by WONCA, following nomination by the Spanish WONCA member, semFYC, and the IPCRG. 

We issued a position statement on Treating Tobacco Dependence, endorsed by WONCA Europe in 2017 and published in our peer-reviewed journal npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine.

We issued a call to action for governments and payors, endorsed by WONCA Europe in 2023, and subsequently published here.

 

Considering the burden of chronic respiratory diseases in the community and the importance of the role of primary health care in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of these conditions, we recommend governments, health authorities and payors at country and regional level to:

  1. Invest in primary care so that it can provide a timely, accurate and objective (e.g. using spirometry) diagnosis of chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma, tobacco dependence and exposure to indoor air pollution
  2. Invest in primary care to manage chronic respiratory disease, tobacco dependence and exposure to indoor air pollution applying “right care” principles that include understanding what’s right for the individual patient in their local context and removing administrative barriers (eg Enable right to prescribe respiratory treatments in primary care).
  3. Prioritise practical respiratory peer-led training and education for primary care by primary care
  4. Support the development of integrated care systems for respiratory health, involving patients, their families, multi-disciplinary health and social care and secondary care
  5. Fund the generation of real-life evidence to feed respiratory guidelines that are useful in primary care, e.g. implementation research
  6. Recognise primary care as population health educators e.g. about physical activity, nutrition, substance use and how to breathe well
  7. Negotiate and fund the right incentives for primary care to practise population respiratory heath: to go where the people in need are
  8. Fund universal access to good quality affordable and effective vaccinations, inhaled medicines and tobacco dependence treatment and training in how to use them
  9. Recognise primary care societies that can leverage major clinician-led change working locally, collaborating globally

WONCA Resources