11.05.12
COPD and asthma guidance published
New guidance could help doctors to identify up to 2 million people with undiagnosed Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and provide better management and treatment of the condition.
The Department of Health has published a companion document to the outcomes strategy for COPD and asthma, detailing 45 action points to help the NHS put the original strategy, published in 2011, into practice.
The strategy aims to reduce variation in COPD diagnosis, reduce premature mortality and improve quality of life for patients with the disease. The DH estimates that following the action plan could save 7,800 lives each year.
The NHS currently spends £1bn each year treating COPD, which is nearly ten times more expensive to treat when it becomes severe, compared to the mild form. Diagnosed patients can also be kept well for longer through pulmonary rehabilitation, special lung exercises or physiotherapy.
GPs are being encouraged to check through their records and use microspirometry and peak-flow testing to find patients at risk of developing COPD or asthma.
Health minister Simon Burns said: “COPD causes irreversible lung damage and often by the time people are correctly diagnosed it’s too late. The earlier we catch the disease, the better.
“Better quality care is cheaper care – with proper diagnosis and treatment we can make a big difference in the quality of life for people with COPD and asthma, and save the NHS money at the same time.”
NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson said: “There are an estimated three million people living with COPD inEngland, and we want to ensure that best practice is used to improve outcomes for those with COPD and asthma.”
Dame Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: “If left untreated, COPD gets worse over time and can leave people so short of breath that even simple tasks, like getting dressed or walking round the house, can be a real struggle.
“By looking to improve diagnosis and treatment, this new action plan will therefore not just save lives, but could dramatically improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of COPD sufferers nationwide.”
To view the guidance, visit: www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_134000
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