Lung conditions are the most common reason why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people see a doctor and the second most common reason for hospitalisation. Many cases of lung disease seen in adults started in childhood, and many of these lung conditions can be prevented and/or treated if they are recognised and managed before irreversible lung damage occurs.
Our knowledge is limited, both of the clinical course of lung disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, and the factors that hasten its development.
Our research focus:
- To find better ways to treat common lung illnesses and to understand what factors lead to the development of severe lung disease.
- To prevent future chronic disease through awareness-raising and education, and by providing tools to better detect and manage lung problems.
Our research impact:
- Described better ways to diagnose and manage chronic coughs in children through a child-specific ‘cough-pathway’. We documented dramatic reductions in the duration of coughs, from a previous average of 16 weeks to just four weeks. The ‘cough pathway’ will be incorporated into Australian and international guidelines
- Improved the detection and management of chronic suppurative lung disease in children, including the development of evidence-based guidelines
- Launched a respiratory disease web resource called the LungInfoNet. This one-stop shop helps health professionals and others to provide improved health education to Indigenous patients. It includes flipchart resources for respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic suppurative lung disease and bronchiolitis.