Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring (ACAM)

Role

ACAM, a collaborating unit of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), was established in 2002 within the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. It forms a component of the Australian System for Monitoring Asthma (ASMA) along with the National Health Priorities and Environmental Health Unit at the AIHW. ACAM aims to assist in reducing the burden of asthma in Australia by developing, collating and interpreting data relevant to asthma prevention, management and health policy.

Objectives

The objectives of ACAM are:

• To develop a systematic approach to surveillance of asthma across Australia;
• To monitor and report on disease levels, burden, and trends associated with asthma in the general population and specific population groups;
• To examine social, geographical and environmental differentials that may influence the development and burden associated with asthma;
• To identify potential for improved prevention and management strategies;
• To track the impact of health policy, and prevention and management strategies;
• To develop and manage special projects and collaborations for the integration and enhancement of asthma related information.

Research

Enhancing asthma-related information for population monitoring: asthma data development plan 2005
Targeting and evaluating interventions to improve asthma outcomes, a National Health Priority Area, requires good quality and timely data. ACAM, in consultation with various stakeholders, developed a systematic plan to improve the quality of existing data and guide national data development for indicators that are not able to be monitored using current data sources.

Health expenditure and the burden of disease due to asthma in Australia
This report provided a summary of two aspects of the economic impact of asthma in Australia: health care expenditure on asthma and burden of disease attributable to asthma-related disability and premature mortality.

Asthma in Australia 2005 Report
This report brought together data from a wide range of sources to describe the current status of asthma in Australia. It included information on the number of people who had asthma, who received various treatments for asthma and who had written asthma action plans. The report covered GP visits, hospitalizations or deaths due to asthma, and how much was spent on asthma health care. An additional chapter focused on asthma in Australian children.