Respiratory Diseases Awareness

About this course.

Respiratory diseases are conditions that affect the airways and lungs — the parts of the body that allow us to breathe and to take oxygen into the blood. They are extremely common: across the UK, millions of people live with conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and respiratory illness is one of the leading causes of ill health, hospital admission and death. Many of the people you support in health and social care will have a respiratory condition, and for some it will shape their daily life, their energy levels and the support they need from you.

This awareness-level course explains the respiratory system in simple terms and introduces the main respiratory diseases you are likely to come across, including asthma, COPD, pneumonia and chest infections, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer and tuberculosis (TB). It looks at the symptoms these conditions share — such as breathlessness, cough, wheeze, sputum, chest tightness and fatigue — and the risk factors that cause or worsen them, with smoking being by far the most important, and explains how to recognise deterioration or a flare-up and when to seek urgent help or call 999. It also covers how respiratory conditions are treated and managed — including inhalers, pulmonary rehabilitation, vaccination, stopping smoking and oxygen — and how to support people well day to day through positioning, pacing, energy conservation, infection prevention and person-centred care. This is an awareness course; it does not train you to diagnose, prescribe or change anyone’s treatment. It ends with a 20-question multiple-choice assessment, which you must pass at 80% to earn your CPD certificate.