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Innovative COPD Clinic Helps Patients Breathe Easier
February 16, 2005
It is the fifth leading cause of death in North America and is steadily on the rise, yet many people have never heard of it. A new state-of-the-art clinic at St. Paul's Hospital aims to change that by helping address the growing problem known as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
"There are an estimated 750,000 patients diagnosed with COPD in Canada," says Dr. Stephan van Eeden, who is spearheading the clinic. "But we believe that's actually only a quarter of the people with COPD, as most are undiagnosed."
COPD refers to several chronic lung disorders that obstruct the airways, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Many COPD patients suffer from a combination of these disorders.
Part of Providence's Pacific Lung Health Centre, the COPD clinic will use clinical service, education and research initiatives to tackle the growing concern about the disease. This broad vision is what makes the clinic unique compared with other COPD clinics in the province.
"COPD is a chronic disease. Once a person has it they will have it for the rest of their life," says Dr. van Eeden. "It's very much like diabetes, where patients need a chronic disease management program. When a COPD patient's symptoms are severe they are treated in the hospital, but when the patient goes back into the community there is little support to help manage the disease."
The clinic will perform comprehensive evaluations of patients with COPD and provide advice to healthcare workers and family physicians on how specific patients should be managed. Management strategies can include medication, nutrition, oxygen therapy, rehabilitation and surgery.
"A major function of the clinic is education. We will provide outreach programs for pharmacists, family doctors and allied health workers to build awareness and help people recognize the disease earlier on," says Dr. van Eeden. "Our goal is to catch the disease early to prevent significant damage."
Research to improve the quality of life and outcome for COPD patients is another key focus of the clinic. Researchers will be able to develop a comprehensive database of COPD patients to help with current and future research. The goal is to link-up with other clinics across BC and build a provincial database.
The clinic opens its doors to its first patient on February 4 and will host an official opening later in the spring. To learn more about the COPD clinic click here.
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