Why Is COPD Important

Improved Essays
Population of Interest Summary: COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can be described as a progressive group of lung diseases, which leads to difficulty breathing over time and includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthma in some cases; the disease has no cure; however, is preventable (American Lung Association, 2017). The disease process has been linked to smoking as an estimated 80% of people with COPD have a history of smoking, others impacted may have come in contact with secondhand smoke during their lifetime (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). COPD has numerous impacts and includes physical, emotional, and financial hardship. This often results in frequent and costly hospitalizations. The following will
…show more content…
According to the American Lung Association (2017), more than 11 million people have been diagnosed with COPD and is the third-leading cause of death in the United States. Individuals suffering from COPD often have difficulty with activities of daily living such as working, eating, sleeping, or moving in general causes significant shortness of breath (American Lung Association, 2017). Individuals may experience frequent hospitalizations when exacerbations arise, which then leaves an emotional and financial burden.
Working and living in South-Central Kentucky where tobacco is the state’s leading crop, and smoking is often promoted has allowed a clear understanding of the importance of early education. While COPD is an ultimately a global concern, the local impact is significant as Kentucky currently leads the country in COPD prevalence (American Lung Association, 2017).
Now that the importance and prevalence of COPD have been discussed, the focus on change will ensue. To understand the needs of patients, sitting down and speaking to the patient is the first step. Are their health care and home-care needs being met? What do they believe would assist in preventing a future hospital
…show more content…
Overall, taking a transitional care approach that focuses on collaboration has been shown to decrease the rate of hospital readmissions related to COPD and COPD exacerbations (Krishnan, Gussin, Prieto-Centurion, Sullivan, Zaidi, Thomashow, 2015). Researching current literature on the topic would include utilizing educational libraries to locate and examine scholarly references as well as utilizing an internet database to uncover articles of interest and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Laughlin reported the evolution of the nurse role in a primary care setting as a member of the treatment team for chronic illness. Laughlin summarized “the RN in the patient’s primary care setting is uniquely qualified to assess the broad spectrum of needs that patients with chronic conditions may present, and to determine, in partnership with the patient, a plan of action, coordinating other resources that may be beneficial” (p. 414). The author discusses the methods and outcomes of several studies conducted to support the role of nurses in the improvement of care provided for patients with chronic illness. Studies discussed utilizing the chronic care model and patient centered medical home principals. The author pointed out the need for…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Indicators: 2.2.13 and 1.1.2 2.2.13 - Smoke-free Market Rate Multi-Unit Housing: The number of jurisdictions with a policy prohibiting smoking in the individual units of market rate multi-unit housing including balconies and patios Who is impacted by the problem (National and state-level data within the last 3 years)? There is a high prevalence of people who smoke at multi-unit housing that attracts people to secondhand smoke. Groups impacted include: Tenants (non-smokers): Tenants living in apartments shown to have the most problem and exposure of smoke. Smoke that can be drifting from patios, balconies and outdoor common areas through open windows, doors and shared ventilation systems. Pregnant Women: High exposure to smoke can cause many negative externalities to a…

    • 1502 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a lung disease that causes inflammation and stops the airflow from the lungs. Symptoms such as cough, sputum and wheezing are related to this condition. The main cause of the disease is cigarette smoke and exposure to irritating gases for a long time. People with COPD are at a much higher risk of developing heart diseases and other conditions. Contributing conditions to COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    COPD Case Study Examples

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A UK based charity (The British Lung Foundation, 2017) encourage people living with COPD to undergo pulmonary rehabilitation as the programmes combines physical exercise with discussion sessions on how to manage symptoms. Offering pulmonary rehabilitation would provide Tim with a sense of purpose as a lung rehabilitation course would provide Tim with an opportunity to learn how to remain physically active while managing his symptoms to have better control. Although pulmonary rehabilitation is not a cure for COPD the rehabilitation programme would assess and help Tim to identify steps to reach his goal of bettering his exercise tolerance so that he is able to cope better when at work (Ahmedzai et al, 2012). Therefore, providing a sense of purpose as Tim would be able to engage in meaningful activities with hope to achieve a goal of having better exercise tolerance so he can earn a living to support his family and pay his…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    End-Stage COPD Case Study

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages

    1. Describe the procedure/surgery and/or treatment and include associated complications I assisted in the care of two patients while in the critical care unit today. One of my patients was suffering from end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, while the other was experiencing an outbreak of shingles. The patient with end-stage COPD was a 57-year-old female patient, who has been hospitalized for shortness of breath related to her COPD numerous times in the past few months.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    COPD Action Plan

    • 192 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Ellen, The American Lung Association (2017) recommends the use of a “My COPD Action Plan” to be completed with patients with COPD and their healthcare providers as a self-management intervention. According to Nici, Bontly, ZuWallack, and Gross (2013) believe that an action plan for exacerbation and enhanced communication between the patient and health care providers makes clinical sense as a method to encourage self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, after five major trials of self-management in COPD, results are shown to be inconsistent. Two trials show reduction in health care utilization and one was discontinued due to increased mortality. It may be a possibility that individuals with COPD may need earlier…

    • 192 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Each of these factors blend into one another. His ineffective airway clearance leads to an obstructed airway and this contributes to his decreased perfusion in his lungs, which is why he experiences restlessness and shortness of breath. All of the factors listed above plus many more result in his progressing COPD and ultimately his decreasing health. Leyshon (2012) promotes palliative care for those who in the terminal phase of the disease. When placing a patient on hospice or palliative care "they are more likely to receive co-ordinated support, including classification of their specific needs, advance care planning discussion, prevention of crisis admissions and a proactive approach to symptom management" (P.…

    • 2200 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Week # 5 Common symptoms of COPD exacerbation Smoking is the leading cause of COPD and served as a trigger for the disease. Smoking damage the airway and the lining of the lung, which lead to a decrease in lung expansion, which then leads to trouble moving air in and out of the lung causing difficulty with breathing, Irregular breathing, Coughing, discoloration of the skin or nail due to the lack of oxygenated blood. According to case study, Mary had signs of COPD exacerbation which are hash productive cough and SOB, Mary symptoms are caused by the building up of fluid, mucus, and pus in her lung causing tightness of her airway.…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    18, No. 2, Manuscript 4. http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-18-2013/No2-May-2013/Impact-of-Evidence-Based-Practice.html van Eerd, E. M., van Rossem, C. R., Spigt, M. G., Wesseling, G., van Schayck, O. P., & Kotz, D. (2015). Do we need tailored smoking cessation interventions for smokers with COPD? A comparative study of smokers with and without COPD regarding factors associated with tobacco smoking. Respiration; International Review Of Thoracic Diseases, 90(3), 211-219.…

    • 1644 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    COPD Research Papers

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Imagine hearing a cough so loud, it is as if an avalanche is rumbling out of someone’s body. Imagine seeing someone’s chest stop rising and falling as they sleep, knowing they stopped breathing. Imagine witnessing the horrifying scene of black tar shooting out of a person’s lungs. That is COPD. COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Being a respiratory therapist piqued my interest the most because one of my sons has acute asthma problems. When he has an attack, it is the worst feeling in the world to not be able to help. He has a nebulizer machine as well as an inhaler. Respiratory therapists work most often in intensive care and operating rooms, but are also found in outpatient clinics and home-health environments (Myers, 2013). Patient education on inhaled medications and delivery device knowledge transitions nicely to the concept of the Respiratory Therapist as a disease manager for patients with chronic respiratory diseases.…

    • 216 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Respiratory Therapists role in long-term care facility and Homecare My time working at CCOH and RHCS was exciting and interesting. Although they are both respiratory therapist jobs, they each demonstrated something different. While CCOH showed how it is to work in a long-term facility and have consistent patient interaction. At RHCS driving around to the client’s place of business or residence to check on, or collect the equipment, made it personal able.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Patient Discharge Process

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Traditionally the discharge process has been handled by nursing and a nurse case manager. Patients with pulmonary disease, acute or chronic are a significant part of hospital readmission rates. Overall, patients with one respiratory disease process pneumonia, can account for 38.5 percent of hospital readmissions. (Dharmarajan et al., 2013) The needs of discharged patients are not being met up to 81% of patients needing assistance with basic functional needs failed to receive home care referrals and consequently 64% of these patients reported that no one at the hospital had talked to them about “managing at home.”…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Tb Essay

    • 1449 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Retrieved 29 September 2014, from http://globaltb.njms.rutgers.edu/tbepi.htm Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov,. (2014). The role of the nurse in the community... [Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2003] - PubMed - NCBI . Retrieved 26 September 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12729339…

    • 1449 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Coal Miners Suicide

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Participants The coal miners of Rampur colliery, Odisha, India were recruited as study participants. The study sample consisted of 81 non-smoking male coal miners in the age range 36 to 60 years. Of 279 coal miners screened, 162 failed at least one exclusion criterion; another 36 refused informed consent for the investigation; 81 signed up for the trial, but after 9 further dropouts, final data were only available for 72 [Figure 1]. Inclusion criteria Coal miners (male), non smokers, aged 36 to 60 years; moderate to severe stable physician-confirmed COPD satisfying Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria; FEV1/FVC ratio < 0.7 and post- bronchodilator FEV1 < 80% predicted; clinically stable for at least 3 months prior to enrolment, able to walk without aid, willing to complete all study assessments, and provide informed consent.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays