COPD and Asthma Nurses
Published: 07 June 2007
Nurses in Wales will be looking forward to April 1 when a ban on smoking in enclosed public places is introduced in Wales.
Tobacco is a uniquely dangerous consumer product - every hour in the UK an estimated 13 people die from a smoking-related illness at a cost to the NHS of approximately £1.5bn a year.
Each year 284,000 people are admitted to NHS hospitals for smoke related diseases and smokers also account for an extra eight million GP visits each year.
They are given seven million prescriptions which contributes more than £140m to the total bill for smoking related healthcare. Aside from the obvious expensive costs to the NHS, smoking has lifelong devastating effects on a person's health.
One of the most prominent problems caused by smoking is chronic obstructive pulmonary (lung) disease - often known as COPD - which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Nurses have a key role in caring for patients suffering from COPD, which is a progressive disease causing long-term suffering due to blocking or narrowing of the small airways and damage to air sacs in the lung.
When these air sacs and airways break down, the lungs lose their elasticity and there is less surface area in the lung to absorb oxygen.
The onset of the disease is a very slow process and shortness of breath only becomes of concern when about half the lung has been destroyed. Once established, the disease is not reversible.
COPD is a major burden for societies with mortality rates increasing annually. It is estimated to affect 44 million people worldwide and nearly 900,000 people in the UK.
As prevalence rises with age it is also estimated that there could be a further 45,000 people in the UK whose condition is undiagnosed, and that the condition accounts for more than 90,000 hospital admissions each year.
Deaths from COPD among the male population are falling in the UK, but rising among the female population. This is in line with increased smoking habits among women.
As the population ages, the burden of COPD is set to increase. In addition, second-hand smoke is an established trigger for the onset of asthma in children and there is growing evidence that it is also a causal factor in the development of the condition in adult non-smokers.
Prior to premature death, many people will spend years being disabled by the disease. With the growing understanding that COPD affects the whole body, not just the lungs, comes increased interest in pulmonary rehabilitation and although not a new idea, it has failed to take off in the UK.
There have been arguments that rehabilitation is too expensive; that the gains were too short term or that there are no good trials to prove its worth.
Clinical nurse specialists, including asthma nurses, have become more widespread in general practices as the number of people with long-term pulmonary conditions increases.
According to the latest work carried out by researchers from Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, asthma nurses are most effective in their treatment of people with asthma in a practice that prioritises asthma treatment.
According to the interviews conducted with asthma nurses, practice nurses, asthma patients and GPs, specialist nurses can make a real difference.
Furthermore, as healthcare practitioners are trying to work collaboratively with their patients the research concluded that asthma specialist nurses are valued by the public because they are informative and their manner is approachable.
Asthma UK runs a helpline for the public staffed by asthma specialist nurses. Nurse-led asthma clinics have been beneficial in managing the condition long term and improving a patient's quality of life.
It is imperative that asthma nurses and all clinical nurse specialist are recognised for their special expertise and have independence to carry out their role.
Clinical nurse specialists need to be increased and made more widely available to everyone in order to ensure that patients receive the best care possible.
We all await the positive health outcomes that a ban on smoking in public places will bring. However, while we wait, care and treatment to those who are suffering now must be a priority for the health service.
Tobacco is a uniquely dangerous consumer product - every hour in the UK an estimated 13 people die from a smoking-related illness at a cost to the NHS of approximately £1.5bn a year.
Each year 284,000 people are admitted to NHS hospitals for smoke related diseases and smokers also account for an extra eight million GP visits each year.
They are given seven million prescriptions which contributes more than £140m to the total bill for smoking related healthcare. Aside from the obvious expensive costs to the NHS, smoking has lifelong devastating effects on a person's health.
One of the most prominent problems caused by smoking is chronic obstructive pulmonary (lung) disease - often known as COPD - which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Nurses have a key role in caring for patients suffering from COPD, which is a progressive disease causing long-term suffering due to blocking or narrowing of the small airways and damage to air sacs in the lung.
When these air sacs and airways break down, the lungs lose their elasticity and there is less surface area in the lung to absorb oxygen.
The onset of the disease is a very slow process and shortness of breath only becomes of concern when about half the lung has been destroyed. Once established, the disease is not reversible.
COPD is a major burden for societies with mortality rates increasing annually. It is estimated to affect 44 million people worldwide and nearly 900,000 people in the UK.
As prevalence rises with age it is also estimated that there could be a further 45,000 people in the UK whose condition is undiagnosed, and that the condition accounts for more than 90,000 hospital admissions each year.
Deaths from COPD among the male population are falling in the UK, but rising among the female population. This is in line with increased smoking habits among women.
As the population ages, the burden of COPD is set to increase. In addition, second-hand smoke is an established trigger for the onset of asthma in children and there is growing evidence that it is also a causal factor in the development of the condition in adult non-smokers.
Prior to premature death, many people will spend years being disabled by the disease. With the growing understanding that COPD affects the whole body, not just the lungs, comes increased interest in pulmonary rehabilitation and although not a new idea, it has failed to take off in the UK.
There have been arguments that rehabilitation is too expensive; that the gains were too short term or that there are no good trials to prove its worth.
Clinical nurse specialists, including asthma nurses, have become more widespread in general practices as the number of people with long-term pulmonary conditions increases.
According to the latest work carried out by researchers from Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, asthma nurses are most effective in their treatment of people with asthma in a practice that prioritises asthma treatment.
According to the interviews conducted with asthma nurses, practice nurses, asthma patients and GPs, specialist nurses can make a real difference.
Furthermore, as healthcare practitioners are trying to work collaboratively with their patients the research concluded that asthma specialist nurses are valued by the public because they are informative and their manner is approachable.
Asthma UK runs a helpline for the public staffed by asthma specialist nurses. Nurse-led asthma clinics have been beneficial in managing the condition long term and improving a patient's quality of life.
It is imperative that asthma nurses and all clinical nurse specialist are recognised for their special expertise and have independence to carry out their role.
Clinical nurse specialists need to be increased and made more widely available to everyone in order to ensure that patients receive the best care possible.
We all await the positive health outcomes that a ban on smoking in public places will bring. However, while we wait, care and treatment to those who are suffering now must be a priority for the health service.