Information updates

For the first time since ASCIA e-training courses for Schools and Children’s Education/Care (CEC) were introduced in 2010, reports have been developed based on mandatory feedback surveys in the Australasian versions of the courses. The surveys were completed by 43,945 course participants and the reports are available at https://www.allergy.org.au/ascia-reports#nacscec

Highlights from the Schools, CEC and Refresher course reports include:

• Relevant to current role - 81% to 86% indicated that the courses were entirely relevant to their current roles.
• Course content - 94% to 99% indicated there was nothing missing and 89% to 98% thought that the course did not need to be improved.

This work has been completed as part of the National Allergy Council Schools and Childcare project, and results will guide course updates.

To access the courses go to https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/about-ascia-e-training

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For the first time since ASCIA e-training for health professionals was introduced in 2011, reports have been developed based on mandatory feedback surveys. These surveys were completed by 1,730 health professionals and the reports are available here

Highlights from the health professional course reports include:

• Learning needs met – More than 90% indicated that the full and refresher courses had entirely met their learning needs.
• Relevant to current practice - 71% indicated that the full course, and 83% indicated that the refresher course was entirely relevant to their current practice.
• Full course content - 96% indicated nothing was missing and 94% indicated that the course did not need to be improved.
• Refresher course content - 96% indicated nothing was missing and 95% indicated that the course did not need to be improved.

This work has been completed as part of the National Allergy Council Shared Care for Allergy project, and results will guide course updates.

To access the courses go to https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/about-ascia-e-training

Continue reading

To coincide with World Primary Immunodeficiency (PI) Week (22-28 April 2024) and the International Day of Immunology (29 April 2024) ASCIA has updated:

• ASCIA information for patients and carers about primary immunodeficiencies (also known as inborn errors of immunity)  
• ASCIA information for patients and carers about autoimmunity

Updated ASCIA SCIg Therapy - General Information includes subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) products that are currently available in Australia and New Zealand and management guides for SCIg infusion site reactions, problems and other reactions.

Updates have been made as part of the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy to make it easier to:

• Read and understand, by simplifying language and changing to FAQ formats.
• Contact patient/carer support organisations by including weblinks at the start of each FAQ.

The ASCIA team is in the process of updating all ASCIA website Information for patients and carers as part of the National Allergy Council Shared Care for Allergy project.

ASCIA patient/carer allergy information topic areas recently updated are:

• Allergy Treatments
• Food Allergy
• Insect and Tick Allergy
• Anaphylaxis and Allergy
• Allergic Rhinitis (Hay Fever) and Sinusitis
• Allergy and Immunology Testing

The updates have been made by the ASCIA team as part of the National Allergy Council Shared Care for Allergy project, to make it easier to:

• Read and understand, by simplifying language and changing to FAQ formats.
• Contact patient/carer support organisations by including weblinks at the start of each FAQ.

Other updates include:

• New ASCIA Quicklinks webpage with links to ASCIA information
• New ASCIA Position Paper - Diagnosis and investigation of mast cell activation disorders and syndrome for health professionals.

Implementation is progressing in 2024 for the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy for Australia and New Zealand, following an ASCIA PID/IEI resources working party meeting held on 10th May 2024 and an implementation meeting on 28th April 2023. The 2023 meeting was attended by a range of stakeholders including clinicians (clinical immunologists, specialist nurses and allied health), patient/carer organisations (AusPIPs, IDFA and IDFNZ), and researchers.  As a result of this meeting a list of priorities was developed which are outlined below,

Priority 1) Clinical Care Standard which includes care by GPs and other health professionals. (Goals 2, 3, 4, 5, 8)

An ASCIA Clinical Care Standard for Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) will be developed to assist in benchmarking and advocating for optimal services and treatment. 

ACTION:

• A new ASCIA IEI Clinical Care Standard has been drafted at the ASCIA PID/IEI resources working party meeting on 10th May 2024. The draft Standard will be be sent for wider review from late-May 2024 onwards.

Priority 2) ASCIA Working Parties will develop genetic testing and newborn screening (NBS) information to facilitate clinical implementation. (Goals 1, 2, 3, 8)

An ASCIA working party will further address issues for better access and funding of genetic testing and the implementation of the clinical aspects for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) newborn screening (NBS). Whilst SCID NBS laboratory testing is now available in all jurisdictions, each region has differences which need to be considered in a consistent approach for SCID NBS and genetic testing.

ACTIONS:

• ASCIA is developing a new genetic testing guide for clinical immunologists.
• ASCIA sent a letter to the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Ageing, Commonwealth of Australia
  regarding implementation of newborn screening. Submitted 15 August 2023, and had a subsequent meeting.
• ASCIA has developed new resources for NBS https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/info-updates/new-ascia-newborn-screening-resources

Priority 3) Education Program for Transition from Paediatric to Adult Care and advocacy for resourcing of improved transition services based on the Clinical Care Standard (Goal 4, 6)

It has been recognised that there are many aspects of transitioning from paediatric to adult services that should be improved for complex patients with IEI and their families  Programs addressing education and support for patients, families and service providers and advocacy for funding of appropriate supportive multidisclinary resources utilising the ASCIA Clinical Care Standard will help address this.

ACTION:

• The new ASCIA IEI Clinical Care Standard will include a Quality Statement about transitioning from paediatric to adult medical services. 

Priority 4) Advocacy, including discussions regarding Chronic Disease Strategy, patient/carer support organisations, health economics, barriers to access and Indigenous Australian/Maori involving clinicians and patients. (Goals 4, 5, 8). Advocacy will be central to many of our goals. The ASCIA Clinical Care Standard will be important, as will be collaborations with patient/carer support organisations and potential utilisation of the Chronic Disease Strategy.

ACTIONS:

• ASCIA PID/IEI information has been updated to link to simplify language and link to patient/carer support organisations. https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/info-updates/updated-ascia-immunodeficiency-patient-and-carer-information
• ASCIA has lodged a submission to Public Consultation on the refresh of the National Strategic Framework for Chronic Conditions including requests for primary immunodeficiency diseases and allergic diseases to be considered as chronic health conditions. Lodged 28 April 2024.
  ASCIA Submission Framework 2024-04-2846.21 KB

Priority 5) Research Initiatives, including an audit of access to testing/care and rejuvenation of ASCIA IEI Registry. (Goal 7)

An audit of access to testing and access to care was recommended, to better understand the inequities identified and the differences between access in public versus private heathcare systems.

Ways to rejuvenate the ASCIA IEI Registry are being considered, to optimise the entry of data, with recognition of the need for project officer support and the need to change from the existing waiver of consent to a formal consent process. An active ASCIA IEI Registry will allow documentation of numbers for advocacy and also allow expansion of research.

ACTIONS:

• ASCIA will develop a governance structure and draft data fields for a new ASCIA IEI Registry.
• ASCIA will survey members regarding access to care/testing after the Clinical Care Standard has been established.

Why was the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy initiated?

The ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy for Australia and New Zealand was established to address the needs of patients and their families affected by immunodeficiency in a targeted collaborative way. The development of the Strategy was built on the experience from the successful implementation of the National Allergy Strategy.

The first ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy meeting was held on Friday 8 March 2019 and was attended by a wide range of stakeholders including clinicians, patient/carer organisations and researchers. Despite the disruptions of the COVID pandemic over the last three years, there has been significant progress in some of these areas, but there are still substantial issues that need to be addressed.

The ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy for Australia and New Zealand document was developed from 2019-2021 and launched in April 2022. The Strategy includes eight goals to address key issues, as listed below. 

ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy Goals

Goal 1: Enable early diagnosis of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) by newborn screening

Goal 2: Enable early diagnosis of other PID/IEI disorders through recognition of early warning signs of PID/IEI disorders, appropriate testing and treatment.

Goal 3: Improve access to expert genetic diagnosis by using genomic and immune testing for patients with suspected or recently diagnosed PID/IEI disorders, or people with a family history of PID/IEI.

Goal 4: Ensure equitable access to specialist and multi-disciplinary care for patients with PID/IEI disorders, including those living in regional, rural and remote areas.

Goal 5: Ensure equitable access to treatments, that are appropriately supported and funded for patients with PID/IEI disorders.

Goal 6: Increase support for PID/IEI education and training for patients, carers and health professionals.

Goal 7: Increase support for multi-disciplinary clinical and laboratory PID/IEI research and collaborations.

Goal 8: Ensure that the priorities of Indigenous Australian and Maori populations are represented in PID/IEI diagnosis, care and research.

For more information about the Strategy visit https://nationalimmunodeficiencystrategy.org.au/

A new ASCIA Position Paper on the diagnosis and investigation of mast cell activation disorders and syndrome has been developed for health professionals.

Mast cell activation syndrome is a group of disorders with episodic symptoms due to mast cell mediator release. They involve multiple systems and can cause flushing, pruritus, wheeze and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Diagnosis is based on clinical and laboratory assessments, including testing for tryptase. Other laboratory tests are generally not used or available, due to their lack of sensitivity and specificity.

ASCIA Mastocytosis and other Mast Cell Disorders FAQ for patients and carers is also available.

In response to requests from ASCIA members, QR codes have been added to 15 landing pages on the ASCIA website to improve access and reduce the need for printing of ASCIA Information for patients and carers.

New ASCIA Quicklinks A4 documents include QR codes and are available at www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/quick-links

ASCIA PC QR Code Quicklinks1.71 M

This project has been completed as part of the National Allergy Council Shared Care for Allergy project.

Each of the following webpages include a QR code directly below the instructions "Scan the QR codes below to view ASCIA information on a mobile phone:"

Allergy and anaphylaxis

Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and sinusitis

Allergy prevention

Allergy and immunology testing

Allergy treatments

Asthma and allergy

Autoimmunity

Drug allergy

Food allergy

Food - other adverse reactions

Immunisation

Immunodeficiencies

Insect allergy (bites and stings)

Other allergies

Skin 

The Allergy and Immunology Foundation of Australia (AIFA) 2024 grant round is now open and Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are invited from ASCIA members for AIFA research grants. EOIs are due by midnight on 14 May 2024 and the application form is on the AIFA website www.allergyimmunology.org.au/grants 

This year a total of $110,000 will be awarded, comprised of 8 grants that are listed below.

Allergy and Immunology Research
$40,000 AIFA Early Career and New Researcher Grants (4 x $10,000 available)
These grants encourage new research projects which do not yet have major funding. It is important that Early Career and New Researchers are supported to establish track records that will increase their chance of securing future research funding. These include early career scientist researchers, emerging clinician researchers (such as advanced allergy/immunology trainees), and other health professionals (such as dietitians, nurses, pharmacists).

Food Allergy Research Grants
$20,000 AIFA Prof Ann Kupa Food Allergy Grant
$15,000 AIFA DBV Technologies Food Allergy Grant

New AIFA Viatris Grant for Nurses
$20,000 AIFA Viatris Nurse Researcher of the Year
We are delighted to announce this new grant, which will be awarded to a late-stage nurse researcher to facilitate presentation of their completed, or soon to be completed, research at an appropriate international or national conference of their choosing.

Primary Immunodeficiency Research Grant
$15,000 AIFA CSL Behring HAE Clinical Research Grant

AIFA grants awarded in 2024 will be announced in September at the ASCIA 2024 Conference in Adelaide.

Thank you to new and long term supporters of AIFA research grants. Your generous support has contributed to the progress of clinical allergy and immunology research in Australia and New Zealand.

By 2026 AIFA aims to award a cumulative total of $1 million in research grants, selected by experts, for clinically important research into allergy and other immune diseases. Help us achieve this goal by donating at www.allergyimmunology.org.au/donate