The first World Congress of the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) was held in Amsterdam from 7 - 9 June 2002. The appeal of such a conference was demonstrated by its attendance: it attracted 400 participants - general practitioners, nurse -assistants, pulmonary nurses, university researchers, pulmonologists, paediatricians, educators and others involved in primary care medicine. They came from 17 different countries - all with a special interest in respiratory medicine. This meeting followed the international meeting in 2000 in Cambridge, which was organised by the General Practice Airways Group of the United Kingdom. It was at this meeting in Cambridge that the IPCRG was born.

It was a busy and stimulating Congress. The main symposia themes included the difficulties at a primary care level surrounding the clinical diagnosis of asthma in young children, and the difficulties in distinguishing COPD from asthma; topics that play a role in the contemporary research in primary care. Other subject matter included Australia's 3+ Visit Plan for the proactive, planned management of asthma, children's asthma, recent advances in therapy, rhinitis and its place in the management of the upper airways and COPD. Original research was presented in oral and poster sessions, that gave new researchers the opportunity to gain experience in presenting research in a supportive atmosphere, while the workshops were interactive and covered a wide variety of topics applicable to primary care.

The Congress allowed interchange of knowledge, information on differing health systems, and opinions between the participants, but most importantly it consolidated the base for international multi-centre primary care research. Already a number of interesting and useful research questions are being developed.

There was conversation and camaraderie amongst primary health care workers with a specific interest in respiratory medicine from many countries and health care systems. We look forward to building on this by welcoming you to the next International Congress that is to be held in Melbourne, Australia on Feb 19 - 22, 2004.

James J. Reid
H. John Fardy
Joint-Presidents IPCRG, 2002 - 2004