Do you have patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? Are they breathless? Are they not on any opioid?
If you answered “yes” to all three questions, we would like to hear from you.
The Melbourne Health Palliative Care Clinical Trials Team is currently recruiting to a national multi-site trial, the BEAMS trial: Breathlessness, Exertion and Morphine Sulphate Study. This trial may be of particular interest to GPs as it is a trial that most relatively stable, maximally treated COPD patients would be eligible for.
These patients can be discussed at a case conference where you can bill Case Conference Items (for example: item 735). We are happy to fulfil the case conference team requirements.
Suitable referred patients will be offered an appointment at the Advanced Lung Disease Clinic, and be seen by a respiratory physician for optimisation of their COPD. We will also discuss our trial with suitable patients, if they are eligible, which looks at placebo vs morphine for treatment of chronic breathlessness in patients with COPD as their primary reason for breathlessness.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a patient you think may be eligible for this trial. A patient currently on this trial recently stated “I never thought I’d feel this well again!”.
Contacts:
Gillian McCarthy (research nurse): Gillian.McCarthy@mh.org.au
Dr Aaron K Wong (clinical trials fellow): Aaron.Wong@petermac.org
Disclaimer: This article was provided by Melbourne Health. While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network does not warrant or represent the accuracy, currency and completeness of any information or material included within.
