Boehringer Ingelheim supported the second ELEVATE ILD Nurses Conference in Sydney on the 1- 2 November.
This year, ELEVATE was integrated within the annual AIRWAYS conference.
This event marked another milestone for interstitial lung disease (ILD) nurses across Australasia, highlighting the critical role nurses play in ILD patient care.
Further acknowledgement of this was provided by BI’s Medical Director, who committed to continuing their support in the advancement of ILD nurses, with the announcement of ELEVATE returning in 2025.
This year’s conference centred around the inaugural ELEVATE conference feedback and emphasised professional development and collaboration, highlighted by the launch of the Australasian ILD Nurses Alliance (AILNA).
AILNA, a CRE-PF initiative, aims to foster strong connections among ILD nurses, addressing the challenges of professional isolation in this specialised field and creating a network to share expertise, resources, and benchmarking opportunities for best practices.
The ELEVATE conference was another significant milestone in AILNA’s ongoing mission to advance ILD care through community-building and knowledge-sharing. By connecting, ILD nurses can exchange insights and strengthen patient care standards across Australia and New Zealand. Commitment to ongoing education ensures that nurses stay at the forefront of ILD research and treatments, ultimately improving outcomes for patients, particularly those with complex conditions like pulmonary fibrosis.
The conference provided a comprehensive look at ILD care. The Friday night ELEVATE dinner kicked off with the expert ILD Nurse led steering committee discussing the challenges and highlights of ILD nursing. A pertinent highlight being the launch of AILNA!
Then Professor Fraser Brims discussed occupational lung disease, focusing on silicosis, at-risk jobs, and recent advancements in management and prevention.
Professor Tamera Corte opened the second day, highlighting the distinctions between progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), emphasising PPF’s emergence as a diagnostic category.
Doctor Anthoulla Mohamudally followed with eloquent insights on ILD palliative care, addressing symptom burden, quality of life, and end-of-life communication.
Case studies on managing breathlessness, acute exacerbations, and connective tissue disease-related ILD were presented by ILD nurse experts Mary Roberts, Tara Hannon, and Susanne Webster.
Doctor John Mackintosh then discussed ILD updates, including genetic influences and preparations for the influx of interstitial lung abnormalities with the upcoming Australian lung cancer screening roll out in 2025.
The conference concluded with a panel featuring ILD nurse leaders, enhancing connection and collaboration within the ILD nursing community.
The event was a tremendous success, with highly positive feedback from attendees. We look forward to advocating for and continuing the growth of ILD nursing in 2025.