What does GARD offer?
GARD provides a network through which collaborating parties can combine their strenghts and knowledge, thereby achieving results that no single partner could attain alone. The Global Alliance also improves coordination between existing governmental and nongovernmental programmes, which avoids duplication of efforts and wasting of resources. Within this framework, GARD focuses on the following areas:
- Surveillance of chronic respiratory diseases and their risk factors
GARD will develop a standardized process for collecting data on chronic respiratory disease risk factors, disease burden, trends, quality and affordability of care, as well as the economic burden imposed on families and countries alike. Standardized data will support the creation of comparable estimates across countries, and will help policy makers to prioritize actions and assess the impact of their interventions.
Chairman: G. Viegi (Past-President of ERS, European Respiratory Society)
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- Advocacy for action
To effectively address the global epidemic of chronic respiratory diseases, they must be made a public health priority in all countries. GARD will work to increase awareness and strengthen commitment for action across a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, the media, the general public, health care professionals (including those in schools and workplaces) and affected individuals.
Chairman: C. Lenfant (Executive Director, Global Initiative for GOLD/GINA)
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- Health promotion and prevention
GARD will advise on the implementation of policies to reduce exposure to tobacco smoke, indoor and outdoor pollution, occupational hazards and other risk factors for chronic respiratory diseases.
Chairman: M. Boland (Director of the Postgraduate Resource Centre, Irish College of General Practitioners)
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- Diagnosis of chronic respiratory disease
GARD will recommend and promote simple, available and affordable diagnostic tools for chronic respiratory diseases; and it will provide evidence-based training for health-care professionals on proper diagnosis of these conditions.
Chairman: K. Rabe (Chairman, Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center)
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- Control of chronic respiratory diseases and drug accessibility
GARD will improve the control of chronic respiratory diseases and related allergies through developing, validating and facilitating the implementation of simple and affordable integrated approaches; and it will provide training for health professionals that is appropriate for each country’s needs, priorities, health care systems and resources.
Chairman: J. Bousquet (Chairman ARIA, Allergy Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma)
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GARD will develop a simple and accurate asthma education plan (AEP) to improve the skills for identifying and managing asthma in childhood. This plan will be aimed at patients and caregivers, as well as all health-care personnel.
Chairmen: E. Valovirta (Turku Allergy Center)
C. Baena-Cagnani (Past President of WAO, World Allergy Organization)
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