Starting oxygen therapy can be a very worrying time, with a few patients even seeing it as a last resort or “the end”. However, there is no doubt that respiratory patients benefit from oxygen therapy and that such therapy improves their quality of life. Every patient is different and their needs are different; however, making oxygen therapy easy and keeping it simple, whilst giving patients flexibility and freedom, is the “Holy Grail” that every practitioner and homecare provider is striving for...

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Today, a world without the internet seems impossible to imagine. The ease with which information can be located and consumed is overwhelming, from abstracts and full text, through to presentations and complete lectures on video sites. Combined with the fact that almost all professions require lifelong learning to remain up to date, electronic media seems to be the preferred method for enabling education in the future...

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The year 2015 saw the European Respiratory Society (ERS) take a new and exciting step in Congress session innovation with the development of ERS Live Endoscopy day. A first for the ERS, this day demonstrated how using the latest medical techniques in a live session, combined with dedicated organisers, faculty and operators, could create a very special and memorable experience which enriched the 2015 Congress programme...

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The damage air pollution can pose to lung health for people with existing lung conditions, the general population and those still in the womb is widely understood amongst the medical community. Awareness amongst the general population is also growing steadily, particularly in high income countries; however, we don’t always focus on the right places...

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It is difficult to capture in a single article all the respiratory equipment and devices that have emerged over the last 200 years or so. However, it is possible to create a suggested list of the “top 20 innovations” that have at each stage revolutionised our practice or even initiated whole new areas of respiratory medicine...

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A “specialist nurse” was described by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in 2014 as a nurse who specialises in a specific condition or treatment pathway, providing patient care, clinical expertise and education, as well as leadership and service development...

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Despite individual differences, physicians’ competence is suggested to decline with age. Staying up-to-date with recent developments in the medical field remains a challenge which all healthcare professionals have to face and which can be met with the aid of different learning opportunities. However, older physicians are certainly experienced and have high levels of diagnostic skill that enable them to recognise patterns and make critical decisions...

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The best known role for patients in clinical trials is that of research subject. In this article I want to address the other roles patients (can) have in clinical trials. They can be involved as information providers, advisors, reviewers, co-researchers and even as the driving force behind the research. In fact, in many countries, the involvement of patients is becoming a requirement to obtain funding...

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“I told you I was ill” was recently voted Britain’s favourite epitaph for a tombstone. I definitely plan for that to be on mine-but not yet, definitely not yet! My name is Tom Simpson and the beginning of my story is unoriginal, even boring for oncologists to read because it is heard so often. Unfortunately, it must be repeated until it is no longer the norm. I hope you continue to read my story beyond the diagnosis because that was only the beginning...

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Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic diseases in childhood affecting 5–25% of school-aged children in Europe. Data on prevalence in poor countries and the so-called third world are less well established; however, the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (the ISAAC study, the only global study on paediatric asthma and allergy) has provided important, precious knowledge not only regarding prevalence but also treatment opportunities for many countries in the world...

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Pulmonary rehabilitation is now an evidence-based intervention for people suffering from chronic respiratory conditions. It consists of an individualised package of interventions that aim to accomplish two main objectives: 1) to improve the patient’s physiological and psychological well-being; and 2) to achieve long-term health-enhancing behaviour...

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