Below you can get a sneak peek into some of the WONCA Europe 2021 sessions. For more information about these and other conference sessions, check out the interactive programme.

Respiratory and COVID and Anaphylaxis management at the WONCA Europe 2021 Conference.

Three Special Interest Groups, the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG), the  European  Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) primary care working group, and the General practice Research on Infections Network (GRIN), have organized a package of three sessions on different aspects of managing COVID-19 that you simply should not miss.

1. COVID-19, COPD, and diversity

Plenary session – Wednesday, 7th July 16.00- 17.00 CEST

COVID-19 is of course a very important topic that should be discussed during this WONCA congress. Therefore, we have asked two experts on this topic to share their knowledge in this plenary session.

First Chris Butler, a well-known GP and researcher form Oxford University in the UK will tell us about setting up and managing the largest trial at this moment on treating patients with COVID-19 in primary care. Using a novel trial design his team was able to assess the effects of several treatments which are currently being published, in among other journals, the Lancet. He will update us on latest results of this fascinating and important study that is still ongoing.

Migrant patients, and especially them with insecure living circumstances, are at high risk for COVID-19 infection and worse health outcomes. Based on his extensive research in this area and his experiences as a clinician working in a primary care health centre for irregular migrants, prof. Yves Jackson will explain the reasons behind these higher risks, and the relation between social determinants of health and COVID.

2. LET’S TALK ABOUT (LONG) COVID-19

Round table session – Wednesday, 7th July, 17:30-19:30 CEST

In this session the main focus is to enable participants to have discussions with colleagues on three items:

1. How are we managing COVID in our daily clinical work?
2. How are we facing the challenges of the long lasting symptoms of COVID-19 often referred to as Long Covid ?
3. What are the problems and possible solutions of managing COVID-19 in migrants?

This session will start with presentations then go into breakout rooms enabling you to listen, share and reflect upon experiences from colleagues across Europe.

During the presentations, Dr Nisreen Alwan, an associate professor from the University of Southampton, will inform you on the long-term effects of COVID-19. A considerable number of patients are suffering from long COVID-19. She will discuss the challenges of this new syndrome and it’s implications for daily practice.

Dr. Rebecca Farrington, an academic GP from Manchester, has extensive experience in caring for refugees and other vulnerable migrants. In her talk, she will highlight some specific issues when caring for migrant patients with COVID. Her practical tips will help GPs to provide person centered culturally sensitive care for their patients.

This Round Table will enable you to exchange views, discuss different approaches and learn from each other. In short, the very reason many of you decided to join this WONCA congress!

3. IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON RESPIRATORY DISEASES TREATMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Research Masterclass – Thursday 8^th July 17.30-19.00 CEST

Covid-19 has confronted us with unexpected and difficult questions during our daily work. In this masterclass several experts invited by our SIGs will discuss the state-of-the-art knowledge and study results on issues like:

• how to diagnose and treat patients with asthma or COPD during COVID-19
• how to use remote respiratory consultations and new ways of monitoring patients at home?
• how did we manage COVID-19 in primary care in Europe and what are new insights concerning important issues like infection prevention?
• What is anaphylaxis ? An update on the latest worldwide anaphylaxis guidelines from EAACI and the World Allergy Organisation, how to risk assess patients with allergies or anaphylaxis and questions about whether they can have the COVID-19 vaccine, current insights regarding allergic reactions post vaccination and how to manage those in your settings.

These and other relevant aspects of management of COVID-19 will be presented and discussed with the audience.

You can hear latest insights and will be given the opportunity to ask your questions or make comments to the presenters during the interactive section at the end of the session.