EU project improves quality of life for patients with chronic lung disease

Researchers from an EU funded project have developed a care system for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which promises to reduce hospital admissions and improve patients' quality of life.

COPD is a progressive lung disease whose symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and recurrent respiratory infections. As the disease progresses, many patients suffer 'exacerbations', which typically involve a sudden worsening of the symptoms and, in the most severe cases, can lead to respiratory failure. Exacerbations are treated with bronchodilators, antibiotics and steroids.

Hospital admissions due to exacerbations represent a major problem for healthcare systems, as they generally worsen the patients' quality of life and place a significant economic burden on hospitals.

Researchers in Barcelona, Spain and Leuven, Belgium designed an alternative, integrated care system aimed at reducing levels of hospitalisation among COPD patients. They then assigned patients who had been hospitalised due to COPD at random to either the usual follow-up system or the new integrated care system.

Under the integrated care system, on discharge from the hospital a comprehensive assessment of the patient looked at the severity of the patient's COPD, other health problems and social support needs. A two hour course on COPD provided patients with information on the disease in general, tips on how to better manage their symptoms and strategies for coping with future exacerbations. Following that, an individually tailored care plan was designed and distributed to all involved in the patient's treatment. Finally, both patients and carers were provided with access to a specialised nurse through a web-based call centre which was designed by the EU-funded CHRONIC project. Regular follow-up phone calls served to remind patients of the self-management strategies.

Patients in the usual care system were discharged from hospital and followed up by their doctor as normal, without the extra support offered to the integrated care patients. All patients in the study were followed for one year.

The researchers found that patients in the integrated care group were less likely to be re-hospitalised than those in the usual care group. The researchers attribute the success of the integrated care group to an enhanced self-management of the disease, higher levels of access to healthcare professionals, and greater levels of cooperation between health care professionals from a range of sectors. Their results are published in the European Respiratory Journal.

A total of 60 per cent of patients admitted in emergencies have a chronic pathology. Treating these patients at the appropriate level can reduce pressures on hospitals and improve patients' quality of life, said the researchers.

For further information, please visit:
www.idibaps.ub.edu/eng/home.php

Copyright ©European Communities, 2006
Neither the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, nor any person acting on its behalf, is responsible for the use, which might be made of the attached information. The attached information is drawn from the Community R&D Information Service (CORDIS). The CORDIS services are carried on the CORDIS Host in Luxembourg – http://cordis.europa.eu.int. Access to CORDIS is currently available free-of-charge.

Most Popular Now

Open Medical Works with Moray's Dig…

Open Medical is working with the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre’s Rural Centre of Excellence on a referral management plan, as part of a research and development scheme to...

Generative AI on Track to Shape the Futu…

Using advanced artificial intelligence (AI), researchers have developed a novel method to make drug development faster and more efficient. In a new paper, Xia Ning, lead author of the study and...

AI could Help Improve Early Detection of…

A new study led by investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could help detect interval breast cancers - those that develop between...

Reorganisation, Consolidation, and Cuts:…

NHS England has been downsized and abolished. Integrated care boards have been told to change function, consolidate, and deliver savings. Trusts are planning big cuts. The Highland Marketing advisory board...

AI-Human Task-Sharing could Cut Mammogra…

The most effective way to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) when screening for breast cancer may be through collaboration with human radiologists - not by wholesale replacing them...

AI Tool Uses Face Photos to Estimate Bio…

Eyes may be the window to the soul, but a person's biological age could be reflected in their facial characteristics. Investigators from Mass General Brigham developed a deep learning algorithm...

Siemens Healthineers infection Control S…

Klinikum Region Hannover (KRH) has commissioned Siemens Healthineers to install infection control system (ICS) at the Klinikum Siloah hospital. The ICS aims to effectively tackle nosocomial infections and increase patient...

Philips Future Health Index 2025 Report …

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today unveiled its 2025 Future Health Index U.S. report, "Building trust in healthcare AI," spotlighting the state of...

AI-Powered Precision: Unlocking the Futu…

A team of researchers from the Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Ultrasonography at the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, have published a review in Cancer Biology & Medicine...

AI Model Improves Delirium Prediction, L…

An artificial intelligence (AI) model improved outcomes in hospitalized patients by quadrupling the rate of detection and treatment of delirium. The model identifies patients at high risk for delirium and...

Building Trust in Artificial Intelligenc…

A new review, published in the peer-reviewed journal AI in Precision Oncology, explores the multifaceted reasons behind the skepticism surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in healthcare and advocates for approaches...

SALSA: A New AI Tool for the Automated a…

Investigators of the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology's (VHIO) Radiomics Group, led by Raquel Perez-Lopez, have developed SALSA (System for Automatic Liver tumor Segmentation And detection), a fully automated deep...