COPD Patients Need Better Education
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients might need increased education and dialogue with physicians to better manage their conditions and prevent life-threatening exacerbations, a new study reports.Exacerbations (also called “flare ups”) are a leading cause of hospitalization for U.S. COPD patients, but 62 percent admitted they don’t know much about the events, according to the new, two-part national Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Experience (COPE) Survey conducted by COPD Foundation. An additional 16 percent did not know what an exacerbation was at all.
Exacerbations are acute periods when symptoms suddenly worsen, and breathing becomes even more difficult. Once patients have an exacerbation — described as either mild, moderate, or severe — they are more likely to experience another one. COPD patients surveyed in the study who experienced at least one exacerbation have suffered through an average of 22 exacerbations in their lifetime, the study reported.
“Exacerbations can have a devastating impact on overall health, and they can actually cause COPD to progress even faster and reduce lung function,” said Scott Cerreta, director of Education for the COPD Foundation. “Developing an action plan with instructions to help patients — and their caregivers — identify warning signs and what steps to take if an exacerbation should occur is a critical part of managing COPD.”
A key issue uncovered by the study appears to be a disconnect between what patients know and what their physicians say they are doing to educate their patients. For instance, 60 percent of COPD patients reported that they did not have an action plan for dealing with a flare-up, but 98 percent of the physicians surveyed by the COPE study said they discuss exacerbations with their patients, and 92 percent say they help establish action plans for patients. This suggests an opportunity to improve care through more productive, meaningful communication between COPD patients and their physicians.
Early detection and proper diagnosis of COPD continues to be an issue in treatment of the disease. Physicians in the survey reported that 39 percent of their patients had reached a “severe” or “very severe” disease state by the time of diagnosis — results which indicate there could be an opportunity for earlier detection and intervention. Moreover, even though early diagnosis is key to treatment, 49 percent of physicians surveyed reported that they always perform spirometry to confirm a diagnosis.
“COPD can be treated, but it’s crucial for doctors to diagnose it early and for patients to follow the appropriate therapeutic strategies to improve symptoms, increase activity, and reduce the chances of exacerbations,” said MeiLan Han, M.D., M.S., associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan. “It's important that physicians develop an individualized approach that works best for each patient.”
The COPE patient and physician surveys were conducted by The COPD Foundation with support from Forest Laboratories Inc., as part of Forest’s MORE Matters education campaign to provide COPD patients and caregivers education, resources and support to help them manage the disease.
Kopf, David. (2014, June 26). Study: COPD Patients Need Better Education HME Business. Retrieved July 24, 2014 from http://hme-business.com/articles/2014/06/26/copd.aspx.
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