Improving care for people with asthma: building capacity across a European network of primary care organisations – the IPCRG’s Teach the Teacher Programme

Abstract

# Background The International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) is a global network of organisations committed to improving assessment/treatment of chronic respiratory disease (CRD) in primary care. As a charity IPCRG supports improvements in health systems within member countries by disseminating research evidence and offering evidence-based resources, such as the U-BIOPRED (Unbiased BIOmarkers in PREDiction of respiratory disease outcomes) research into different phenotypes of asthma and IPCRGs desktop helper - which is short practical guidance distilled from the evidence on structured asthma review -- termed SIMPLES. # Methods We ran a pilot educational programme -- called Teach the Teacher: Difficult to Manage Asthma designed to build capacity for teaching knowledge and skills in asthma management to primary healthcare workers in eight member countries. We used a cascade approach, which allowed for adaptation to local contexts to address local challenges, overcome barriers and optimise facilitators within various political, financial and healthcare systems. We explored impact using an educational evaluation framework. # Results Seven in-country programmes were delivered within project timescales March - December 2015. An important feature of the programme level evaluation shows considerable variation in the design and focus of in-country events. Over 230 health professionals participated in these educational events in seven countries, including specialist nurses, physiotherapists, general practitioners (GP), early career GPs, and GPs with a special interest in respiratory disease. Findings from a survey of in-country leads showed the importance of local needs assessment to ensure it was responsive to local social and healthcare context and allowed local variation and needs to be highlighted. Needs assessment also engaged the potential audience and ensured their buy-in to the programme at an early stage. Evidence based resources were adapted to different contexts which allowed them to be integrated to the routine training of primary care clinicians thus ensuring sustainability. # Conclusions Variation in the design and focus of in-country events was crucial to local implementation. Teams encountered, and found local solutions for, challenges in assessing learning needs, setting up education programmes and in supporting clinical practice change. Project funding enabled national programmes, but sustainability will require additional resource and a longer-term strategy.