COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assignment Sample

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The report enlightens the effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the human lives that contributes by inhaling contagious gases. This report highlights the local information of Basildon mainly where a recent report shows the death of 4000 people per year. This disease is mainly supported by smoking and inhaling irritating gases. The report shows that 6% of adults in the UK who smokes on a regular basis are diagnosed with COPD. Therefore, it is to state that smokers are at the most risky point and 16.72% of Basildon locals are chain smokers. It has been reported that 2662 deaths out of 4000 are from Basildon. This report highlights the impacts of the disease by evaluating the same in a critical way.

1. Introduction

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung disease that obstructs the flow of air in the lungs. This disease is usually caused because of “long-term exposure” to smoke, “irritating gases” or “particulate matter” (Mayoclinic.org, 2021). It is noted that COPD is associated with various symptoms such as “breathing difficulty”, “cough”, “mucus production” and “wheezing”. The two most recurrent conditions that cause COPD are “emphysema” and “chronic bronchitis”. In this report, Basildon locality in the UK is chosen for discussing the concerns for COPD. It is noted that COPD causes almost “4000 deaths” per year in the UK and the main causative factor of this disease is smoking. According to the reports, in the UK, 6% of adults who smoke are diagnosed with COPD (Hse.gov.uk, 2021). In this report, a review of Basildon locality is given along with the various medical facilities available there.

The determinants, inequality as well as social barriers of Basildon city are discussed thoroughly to provide a deep insight to the readers. In addition, reviews of the current healthcare facilities in Basildon are explored and a proper conclusion is given. At last, recommendations for improving the healthcare facilities in Basildon are discussed thoroughly.

2. Locality review

The locality, which is chosen for this report is Basildon and it is located in the “country of Essex, England”. It is noted that Basildon is one of the largest towns in England with a population of around “185,862” in 2018 (Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019). “National Child Measurement Programme” (NCMP) has estimated that 20.2 % of children born are obese and this percentage is higher than the obesity of adults in England. It is noted that 16.7 % of the adults in Basildon are current smokers, while the rate of current smokers in Essex is 13.84 % and that of England is “16.7%“. According to the reports of Public Health England (PHE), the life expectancy of females in Basildon is 82.7 years and that of men is 79.6 years (Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019). It is very surprising to note that more than 11.82% of the pregnant mothers smoke in Basildon and this percentage is much higher than in England, Essex.

The life expectancy of Basildon is much lower than that of England and Essex, and the percentage of adult smokers is higher. This leads to the increase in COPD cases in Basildon much greater than in England and Essex.

Figure 1: “Emergency hospital admissions in Basildon”

(Source: Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019)

It is noted from the above figure that the rate of “emergency admissions for COPD” is 116.5 per 100,000 population in Basildon (Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019). The above rate is higher than England and hence, Basildon needs serious health care facilities for controlling COPD. Smoking is one of the leading causes of COPD and it is noted that more than “1331.95” people lost their lives between the years 2013 and 2015 in Basildon.

Figure 2: Smoking prevalence in adults in Basildon compared to other countries of the UK

(Source: Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019)

From the above figure, it is noted that smoking prevalence is higher in Basildon than in any other country in the UK. According to PHE, in 2017, COPD killed more than 26,000 people in England (Harrow.gov.uk, 2019). As per the medical reports of WHO, the COPD rate is higher in countries with low or medium income (Who.int, 2020). It is noted that in Basildon 74.1 % of people are economically active while in England 78.7% of residents are economically active. The common reason for people to be economically inactive in Basildon is “long-term sickness (28.6%)”. It is very surprising to note that the percentage of people who are “long-term sick” sick in Basildon is 9.2 % higher than that of the whole country (Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019). The reason for choosing Basildon for COPD concern is justified because of the long-term sick percentage of people as well as the high prevalence of COPD in the area.

3. Data on Health and social care

“Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)” is one disease that is primarily caused by smoking and directly affects the lungs to a large extent. It has been observed that the smoking population in the “United Kingdom (UK)” has been on a rise for the last few years as there are at present more than “6.9 million” adults who are smoking cigarettes, joints, or any other forms of

 Tobacco. It has been learned that the non-smoking proportion of the “United Kingdom (UK)” has risen from “37.4% in 1974” to “60.4% in 2019” (www.ash.org.uk, 2021).

Figure 3: Estimated number of the population diagnosed with COPD

(Source: statistics.blf.org.uk, 2021)

It has been found that about “1.2 million” of the proportion of the UK population are diagnosed with “COPD”. These numbers are way much higher than “835,000” which was estimated by the “Department of Health” in 2011 (www.statistics.blf.org.uk, 2021). After analyzing the available data across various platforms and portals of the “United Kingdom (UK)” Health Ministry, it has been identified that after asthma, COPD is the most common “lung disease”. It is noteworthy that more than “2%” of the entire United Kingdom population and about “4.5%” of the people aged above 40 have been living with “diagnosed COPD” (www.statistics.blf.org.uk, 2021).

After reflecting on the above diagram, it has been observed that the area from the northern part of the United Kingdom has a greater proportion of the population that is diagnosed with “COPD”. It is noted that “Scotland”, “North East of England” and “North West of England” are the major areas observing this since the years “2004-2012”.

After studying across various official websites of the Health Ministry in the United Kingdom it has been observed that there are about “115,000 people” who are being diagnosed with “COPD” every year. This implies that there is a new diagnosis each “5 minutes”.

It has been observed that the proportion of males diagnosed with COPD has always been higher than that of females diagnosed with the same disease in the United Kingdom. It is noteworthy that there was a difference of “10 per cent” among the COPD diagnoses in males and females in 2012 with the cases in males being the higher. It has been noted that this ratio has remained the same ever since.

After analyzing the figures and statistics available online, it has been observed that most of the living population diagnosed with COPD is more than 40 years of age. It has also been noted that the population of COPD diagnoses increases along with the increase in the age of the population.

4. Determinants, inequality, and barriers

The health of people is greatly affected by determinants of health, inequalities, and various factors such as social, environmental, poverty as well as education. The main factors of health inequalities are “inadequate access to healthy foods”, “poverty”, “violence”, “low air quality”, and many others. According to Celli and Wedzicha (2019), smoking is the leading cause of COPD and the diagnosis of COPD is done with the help of exposure control to smoking, “increased physical activity” as well as through “long-acting bronchodilators”. It can be argued that all these facilities are accessible only when the country or town is economically active. However, it is seen that Basildon is “one of the most deprived countries in England”. It has been observed that the weekly income of a Basildon resident in 2018 was almost “£23.60” and it was 3.97 % lower than that of England (Eapen et al. 2017). The low weekly income of people has made it impossible for them to afford high-cost medical facilities for the treatment of COPD (Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019). It is noted that Basildon is regarded as 40 % of the “most deprived Lower tier Local authorities (LTAs) nationally” (Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019). In addition, according to the reports of Essex more than “26.6 % of people in Basildon” had no educational qualifications in 2011 (Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019). Moreover, the air pollution rate is much higher in Basildon, and almost “10.0891 micrograms per cubic metre” of fine particulate matter was found in 2017 (Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019).

Basildon has an “ethnic minority population” and it is noted that this group of people is expected to receive poorer health care facilities than other people in the town.  It is noted that less educational qualities, poverty, unemployment in Basildon provide social barriers to the people significantly. More than 4.8 % of people in Basildon are unemployed and this percentage is much higher than that of the other towns in England (Nomisweb.co.uk, 2020). It is noted that the GP services provide satisfaction to people and in turn, increase the treatment facilities of a country. According to “NHS Basildon and Brentwood CCG” the GP services in Basildon was almost “80.5 %”. It was almost “83.8 %” in England (Basildonandbrentwoodccg.nhs.uk, 2018). The socio-economic, as well as environmental barriers restrict the people of Basildon from getting proper treatments against COPD.

5. Review of current healthcare services

COPD needs immediate treatment facilities so that the mortality rate is decreased and the patients are cured perfectly. According to Riley and Sciurba (2019), “diagnosis, as well as a treatment” of COPD, are changing rapidly and every country must understand the importance of advances in COPD treatment. It is noted that the NHS has made a long-term plan to treat COPD through a “pulmonary rehabilitation” (PR) program.  The NHS has adopted the COPD Prevention Program in its long-term plan and this program has enabled every healthcare in the UK to take effective measures in the treatment of COPD. According to Buttery et al.(2020),  more than 184 centres in the UK have enrolled their names for participation in the PR program as well as in the “COPD audit program”.

In addition, healthcare in Basildon as well as in England give “Lung volume reduction therapies” and these services help to control COPD effectively. As stated by Fermont et al. (2020), in England the healthcare cost of COPD has increased significantly from “£1.5 billion to £2.32 billion”. According to the “statistics of the NHS”, more than “128,000 individuals” were admitted to hospitals in 2017 because of COPD (Hasan et al.2020). As per the view of Kelly et al.(2020), smoking is the ultimate cause of COPD. Hence, in Basildon, the “NHS smoke free program” has been started so that people take help for stopping the practice of smoking (Nhs.uk, 2020). Various other treatment methods such as “integrated approach of CT imagining”, “spirometric criteria” and many others are practiced in various healthcare of England for the treatment of COPD (Trethewey et al. 2018). However, it is noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risks to be admitted to a hospital for the treatment of COPD.

Hospital beds all over the world are running short because of the prevalence of the covid-19 pandemic all over the world. According to Lowe et al.(2019), in the UK, “patients with asthma or COPD” are at high risk for getting admissions despite the Covid-19 pandemic. However, precautionary measures such as an increase in hospital beds as well as treatment facilities for other diseases have been increased significantly in parts of Basildon post-pandemic. It is noted that in England and Basildon, healthcare professionals have advised asthma people to use inhalers regularly, especially during times of the pandemic (García-Pachón et al. 2020). According to Diab et al. (2018), people with “severe undiagnosed COPD” visit the healthcare “60 % more frequently” than those with diagnosed ones. It can be illustrated with an example that in the UK people with “undiagnosed COPD used considerable health services in the period” before they were diagnosed with COPD.

It is noted that “Basildon University Hospital” has tried to give proper treatments to COPD-affected people. “The Respiratory Medicine Department” of the hospital has provided effective medicines as well as treatment to the COPD affected patients effectively. According to the NHS reports, more than 90% of the patients are satisfied with the GP services of Basildon (Nhs.uk, 2020). In addition to this, there is almost an increase of 2.96 % of the total number of nurses in the Basildon Hospital (Nhs.uk, 2020). Moreover, there is an increase of 2.53% of the total healthcare workers in the hospital for providing effective medicines to COPD-affected patients. “Spirometry guidance” has been provided to the people of Basildon and England so that PR programs are followed effectively and COPD is controlled successfully (England.nhs.uk, 2020). The “National COPD Audit Programme” in England has identified almost “195 separate PR services” across the towns of England (England.nhs.uk, 2020). However, the Government of the UK is also playing a major role in establishing efficient healthcare systems in Basildon as well as in the whole UK.

It is noted that the “total current healthcare expenditure in the UK” is almost £214.4 billion. There is an increase in about “10.08 % of GDP” in the UK because of healthcare expenditures (Ons.gov.uk, 2020). This increase in GDP has enabled the government to invest much in the healthcare of England and provide effective treatment for COPD efficiently. The cost of treatment facilities for COPD is increasing with the evolution of medical sciences as well as highly developed technology. It is noted that Basildon’s GP services are quite satisfactory for patients and this increases the reliability of patients upon its healthcare facilities. The “public service health care growth rates” are increasing rapidly in Basildon, providing an opportunity to the town for increasing its productivity.

However, it can be argued that the poverty rate, as well as the unemployment rate of Basildon, is quite high. The unemployment rate of Basildon is almost 4.9 % and this increase in the unemployment rate has restricted the residents to afford much for the treatment of COPD. Concerns for COPD must be promoted among every individual so that they get aware of the seriousness of the disease. According to Burhan et al. (2019), COPD prevents airflow into the lungs, thus resulting in asthma as well as bronchitis. It is noted that hospitals in Basildon are taking various precautionary measures including vaccinations as well as efficient medicines to control COPD.

However, the poor economic conditions of Basildon are restricting the town to take effective measures for COPD treatment. It is noted, “NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) and EACVS (Essex Association of Voluntary Services)” have held meetings with the local communities or deprived communities of Basildon about the establishment of proper healthcare for the treatment of COPD (Bbwcvs.org.uk, 2020). This initiative is useful in bringing the concern among individuals about the harmful effects of COPD. In addition to this, doctors, as well as nurses, take efficient initiatives to make people aware of COPD (Burhan et al. 2019). “Inspiratory muscle training” is provided to the patients so that an improvement occurs in the breathing pattern. The current practices of healthcare facilities are increasing rapidly in Basildon as well as parts of England so that the COPD treatments are done properly.

6. Conclusion

It can be concluded that COPD is a serious disease in recent times and the most common symptoms of COPD are asthma, cough, and many more. It has been noted that COPD is quite common as well as prevalent in Basildon because of the increase in smoking practices. According to the reports, more than 16.72 % of adults smoke daily in Basildon. This results in an increase in COPD among the individuals and the mortality rate is increased because of this. As per the NHS reports, “4000 deaths” have been reported in the UK because of COPD. Among the above reported deaths, “2662 deaths” were from parts of England, mainly from Basildon. However, the increase in mortality rate is not because of the people’s lifestyles only. It is also because of the various health determinants, social barriers imposed on the people of Basildon.

The poverty rate in Basildon is higher than that of the other towns in England. It is noted that only “70.4% of people” are economically active in Basildon and this percentage is much lower than other towns in England. In addition to this, the educational qualifications of people are very poor in Basildon and almost “4.8 % of residents” are unemployed. Moreover, Basildon is regarded as one of the most deprived towns in England, and the GP services are quite low compared to other towns. However, the “Respiratory Medicine Department” of the Basildon Hospital is effective in providing sufficient treatments for COPD-affected people. The Government of the UK supports the healthcare centres by providing them funds to increase the treatment facilities for COPD. It has been observed that the nurses, as well as doctors, are well trained and capable enough to provide the best treatments for COPD-affected patients.

7. Recommendations

Various recommendations can be given so that effective COPD treatment measures can be provided to the patients.

1. The patients are advised to exercise regularly as well as avoid smoking. According to Burge et al.(2020), smoking causes COPD as well as lung cancer. In addition to this, asthma is also caused because of smoking. Hence, people must take effective measures to prevent smoking and can participate in the “NHS smoke-free programme”.
2. The doctors, as well as nurses, must be trained properly to treat COPD-affected patients effectively. The healthcare staff must have training on “diaphragmatic breathing” practices. This would increase the breathing problem of the patients and increase the confidence of the patients in the healthcare facilities.
3. Patients who are hospitalized with exacerbations must “receive regular doses of short-acting bronchodilators”. According to Iheanacho et al. (2020), supplemental oxygen must be provided to the patients continuously so that breathing problems are controlled. In addition to this, “antibiotics as well as systemic corticosteroids” must be provided to COPD-affected patients effectively.
4. The government of the UK must provide proper educational training to the people so that the unemployment rates, as well as poverty, are decreased. This would decline the socio-economic barriers to the health conditions of people. Moreover, the GP services in Basildon can be made more effective as well as satisfactory by recruiting efficient as well as talented nurses, doctors.

Reference list

Burge, A.T., Cox, N.S., Abramson, M.J. and Holland, A.E., 2020. Interventions for promoting physical activity in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4).

Burhan, H., Young, R., Byrne, T., Peat, R., Furlong, J., Renwick, S., Elkin, T., Oelbaum, S. and Walker, P.P., 2019. Screening heroin smokers attending community drug services for COPD. Chest, 155(2), pp.279-287.

Buttery, S.C., Lewis, A., Kemp, S.V., Banya, W., Quint, J.K., Steiner, M.C. and Hopkinson, N.S., 2020. Lung volume reduction eligibility in patients with COPD completing pulmonary rehabilitation: results from the UK National Asthma and COPD Audit Programme. BMJ open, 10(11), p.e040942.

Celli, B.R. and Wedzicha, J.A., 2019. Update on clinical aspects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 381(13), pp.1257-1266.

Diab, N., Gershon, A.S., Sin, D.D., Tan, W.C., Bourbeau, J., Boulet, L.P. and Aaron, S.D., 2018. Underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 198(9), pp.1130-1139.

Eapen, M.S., Myers, S., Walters, E.H. and Sohal, S.S., 2017. Airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a true paradox. Expert review of respiratory medicine, 11(10), pp.827-839.

Fermont, J.M., Bolton, C.E., Fisk, M., Mohan, D., Macnee, W., Cockcroft, J.R., McEniery, C., Fuld, J., Cheriyan, J., Tal-Singer, R. and Wilkinson, I.B., 2020. Risk assessment for hospital admission in patients with COPD; a multi-centre UK prospective observational study. PloS one, 15(2), p.e0228940.

García-Pachón, E., Zamora-Molina, L., Soler-Sempere, M.J., Baeza-Martínez, C., Grau-Delgado, J., Padilla-Navas, I. and Gutiérrez, F., 2020. Asthma and COPD in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Archivos de bronconeumologia, 56(9), p.604.

Hasan, S.S., Capstick, T., Zaidi, S.T.R., Kow, C.S. and Merchant, H.A., 2020. Use of corticosteroids in asthma and COPD patients with or without COVID-19. Respiratory medicine, 170, p.106045.

Iheanacho, I., Zhang, S., King, D., Rizzo, M. and Ismaila, A.S., 2020. Economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a systematic literature review. International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 15, p.439.

Kelly, A.M., Van Meer, O., Keijzers, G., Motiejunaite, J., Jones, P., Body, R., Craig, S., Karamercan, M., Klim, S., Harjola, V.P. and Verschuren, F., 2020. Get with the guidelines: management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in emergency departments in Europe and Australasia is sub‐optimal. Internal medicine journal, 50(2), pp.200-208.

Lowe, K.E., Regan, E.A., Anzueto, A., Austin, E., Austin, J.H., Beaty, T.H., Benos, P.V., Benway, C.J., Bhatt, S.P., Bleecker, E.R. and Bodduluri, S., 2019. COPDGene® 2019: redefining the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, 6(5), p.384.

Riley, C.M. and Sciurba, F.C., 2019. Diagnosis and outpatient management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a review. Jama, 321(8), pp.786-797.

Trethewey, S.P., Edgar, R.G., Turner, A.M. and Mukherjee, R., 2018, December. Ward-Based non-invasive ventilation in acute exacerbations of COPD: a narrative review of current practice and outcomes in the UK. In Healthcare (Vol. 6, No. 4, p. 145). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Website

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Bbwcvs.org.uk, 2020, Vaccines, Available at:https://www.bbwcvs.org.uk/[Accessed on: 29th December, 2021]

Data.essex.gov.uk, 2019, Basildon District Profile,Available at:https://data.essex.gov.uk/dataset/2o7g5/basildon-jsna-profile-2019 [Accessed on: 29th December, 2021]

England.nhs.uk, 2020, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/respiratory-disease/pulmonary-rehabilitation/[Accessed on: 29th December, 2021]

Harrow.gov.uk, 2019, Public Health reports, Available at:https://www.harrow.gov.uk/downloads/file/26904/public-health-copd-report-2019.pdf [Accessed on: 29th December, 2021]

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Mayoclinic.org, 2021, Overview, Available at:https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/symptoms-causes/syc-20353679,[Accessed on: 29th December, 2021]

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Nomisweb.co.uk, 2020, Reports, Available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157210/printable.aspx [Accessed on: 29th December, 2021]

Ons.gov.uk, 2020, Expenditure on both private and public health care systems in the UK, as well as the results for the National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES), Available at:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem, 2020 [Accessed on: 29th December, 2021]

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Who.int, 2021, COPD, Available at:https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd) 2021[Accessed on: 29th December, 2021]

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