| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) probably affects as many
as 1.5 million people in the UK and results in 30,000 premature deaths
a year. These are just two of the alarming statistics in this new and
concise guide to COPD. The book is divided into 10 chapters which cover
all aspects of the disease in an easy-to-read bullet point format. The
book presents the information in a logical manner, starting with a clear
definition and explanation of the condition. Later chapters deal with
the different pharmacological treatments available as well as non-drug
approaches such as pulmonary rehabilitation and oxygen therapy. Other
interesting and informative chapters deal with topics such smoking cessation,
living with COPD and how to manage exacerbations and management of patients
with end stage disease.
One of the great features of the book is the “vital points” box.
This summarises the information given in the preceding section, and I
found this great for just dipping into a chapter and gathering the salient
points.
The chapter on pharmacological therapy provides pharmacists with a helpful
refresher on the drugs and how they are used. What I thought particularly
useful was a series of five simple questions which patients could be
asked to assess their response to treatment with bronchodilators.
The book benefits enormously from the “patient and care information
fact sheets”, which provide, in bullet point fashion, advice that
health care professionals can use to discuss aspects of care with patients.
I particularly liked the way they described how bronchodilators work
(in simple terms for patients) by “opening the airways and reducing
the amount of air trapped in the lungs, making it easier and more comfortable
to breathe”. Each of the chapters also provides a short list of
important references.
Another extremely pertinent part of the book is the chapter on living
with COPD. Health professionals need to be aware of the psychosocial
impact of such a chronic and debilitating condition. Increased breathlessness
can make everyday tasks such as shopping, house work, etc, much more
difficult and the book provides advice on breathing exercises for patients
to help them on a daily basis. Patients with COPD also need information
about travelling, both in the UK and abroad, particularly if flying,
and the book provides a good deal of helpful advice.
The final chapter discusses organisation of care for COPD patients in
general practice. Since COPD is included in the new general medical services
contract, there are good incentives for GPs to develop services for their
patients. The book finishes with a comprehensive glossary and information
on centres that provide health care professional training and information
for patients.
There is much scope for pharmacists to play an important role in managing
patients with COPD by assessing inhaler technique, offering advice on
smoking cessation and generally asking about symptom control when patients
collect their prescriptions. This book, although only 109 pages has,
in my opinion, achieved its stated aim to provide an essential reference
for the management of COPD. I would recommend it to any pharmacist who
wishes to become more involved in caring for patients with COPD, as the
book is in an easy-to-read format. I also believe that it would be useful
for community pharmacists, who could easily dip into the book and find
answers to questions that might be posed by their patients with COPD.
Rod Tucker (a pharmacist at HMP Hull)
|
The
Pharmaceutical Journal