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09/02/2005
Report questions care of patients with lung problems
More than one in ten patients admitted to hospital suffering from a severe respiratory condition die within 90 days of admission, a new study has found.
An audit into the care of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), conducted by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the British Thoracic Society (BTS), also found that a third of patients suffering from COPD are re-admitted to hospital within this time.
COPD is a disabling condition, in which the patient's airways become obstructed and it becomes difficult to breathe. The lungs may also be damaged by the disorder, which is the fifth most common cause of death in England and Wales.
The research found that survival rates increased, if a respiratory consultant was present in the unit the patient was admitted to. However, the report found that only 30% of patients were admitted under a specialist, while over half (52%) of patients were not under specialist care during their hospital stay. It was also discovered that a third of all Trusts have fewer than the BTS recommended minimum of two respiratory specialists on any one site.
The research also found that non-invasive ventilation wasn't always used for patients that needed it, in spite of being available in 89% of units. It was found that fewer than one in seven patients who received ventilation support in hospital died.
The audit recommended that an increase in the number of respiratory physicians and nurse specialists was needed to improve the care of COPD patients.
Dr Mike Roberts, COPD Associate Director of the RCP's Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit, said: "Care received by COPD patients remains a lottery with many not benefiting from the potentially live-saving and life-enhancing care provided by a specialist respiratory team.
Professor Andrew Peacock of the BTS said that the research was "worrying" and stressed that it emphasised the need for a National Service Framework (NSF) in order to achieve uniform standards of care for patients. He said: "COPD must be given a greater priority within the NHS – at both a local and national level. An NSF is vital if we are to achieve uniform standards of care for patients with all lung conditions."
Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Paul Burstow, said that the report highlighted a "shocking lack of priority" for the condition. He said: "This hidden disease has a low profile in the NHS because of so many political targets in other areas. But for those who suffer from respiratory disease, it destroys their quality of life. Primary Care Trusts should be free to deliver local solutions to meet local needs. Frontline staff should have more freedom to get on with the job of treating patients."
(KMcA/SP)
An audit into the care of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), conducted by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the British Thoracic Society (BTS), also found that a third of patients suffering from COPD are re-admitted to hospital within this time.
COPD is a disabling condition, in which the patient's airways become obstructed and it becomes difficult to breathe. The lungs may also be damaged by the disorder, which is the fifth most common cause of death in England and Wales.
The research found that survival rates increased, if a respiratory consultant was present in the unit the patient was admitted to. However, the report found that only 30% of patients were admitted under a specialist, while over half (52%) of patients were not under specialist care during their hospital stay. It was also discovered that a third of all Trusts have fewer than the BTS recommended minimum of two respiratory specialists on any one site.
The research also found that non-invasive ventilation wasn't always used for patients that needed it, in spite of being available in 89% of units. It was found that fewer than one in seven patients who received ventilation support in hospital died.
The audit recommended that an increase in the number of respiratory physicians and nurse specialists was needed to improve the care of COPD patients.
Dr Mike Roberts, COPD Associate Director of the RCP's Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit, said: "Care received by COPD patients remains a lottery with many not benefiting from the potentially live-saving and life-enhancing care provided by a specialist respiratory team.
Professor Andrew Peacock of the BTS said that the research was "worrying" and stressed that it emphasised the need for a National Service Framework (NSF) in order to achieve uniform standards of care for patients. He said: "COPD must be given a greater priority within the NHS – at both a local and national level. An NSF is vital if we are to achieve uniform standards of care for patients with all lung conditions."
Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Paul Burstow, said that the report highlighted a "shocking lack of priority" for the condition. He said: "This hidden disease has a low profile in the NHS because of so many political targets in other areas. But for those who suffer from respiratory disease, it destroys their quality of life. Primary Care Trusts should be free to deliver local solutions to meet local needs. Frontline staff should have more freedom to get on with the job of treating patients."
(KMcA/SP)
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