The primary care nurse’s guide to winter respiratory disease

The winter months bring with them a surge in respiratory illnesses and inevitable increase in demand for health services. For example, unplanned hospital admissions due to respiratory illnesses double during the winter time and there is a 10 % increase in primary care respiratory consultations for each 1 degree drop in temperature below 5C.¹

This increased pressure on health service providers is challenging in terms of managing capacity however it is also largely predictable. There must then be an overwhelming case for a pro-active approach to managing respiratory illness in a manner that reduces or mitigates the effects of acute illness and the associated health service demand.