A national audit report has identified the need for significant improvement in the delivery of care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
COPD kills 30,000 people a year in the UK. It is estimated that two million people have the condition but have not yet been undiagnosed. Although it is predominantly caused by smoking, up to 20% of people with COPD have been affected by non-smoking-related causes.
COPD is the collective term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and is characterised by airflow obstruction. People with COPD have breathing difficulties, which can affect the quality of their everyday life, while flare-ups, or exacerbations, are a major cause of hospital admission, disability, and mortality. Although there is no cure, treatment can help to manage COPD. However, standards of care continue to vary widely across England and Wales.
A recent national clinical audit report, COPD: who cares matters, concluded that some aspects of care have improved since the last audit in 2008, but there is still considerable room for improvement.
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