Every breath they take

It’s not just patients’ bronchitis and emphysema we have to address, it’s their ability to live with it. If we can manage that, we can dramatically cut the cost of treating Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Managing patient anxiety

For many COPD sufferers, fear is a big part of their lives – the fear that a sudden attack will leave them breathless, vulnerable and unable to call on help. That fear only exacerbates the symptoms – and is why so many patients call 999 at the first sign of difficulty.

Improving patient management and reducing costs
Most Primary Care organisations (PCOs) have been regularly spending over £100,000 per year on inappropriate or unused oxygen. This has been due to oxygen being prescribed without a proper oxygen assessment or whilst waiting for an assessment. A large and growing number of PCOs are now seeing immediate savings by expanding their oxygen assessment services into community or even home settings.

Technology at your disposal

Armed with an Abbott i-STAT respiratory nurses can conduct reliable, lab-accurate tests for blood gases in the patient’s own home.

It’s a proactive way of managing COPD – giving nurses the information they need to adjust patients’ treatment based on the results they get there and then. It significantly reduces precipitate hospital admissions – and keeps costs down for the Primary Care Trust (PCT).

Most importantly, it takes away a big part of the fear that (just as much as the condition itself) can debilitate a patient’s life. By reducing the likelihood of an emergency hospital admission, the respiratory nurse reduces patient stress levels – and helps to alleviate some of the fear that feeds breathlessness.

The i-STAT technology is also self funding as even without the financial benefits of admission avoidance, the money saved on improved oxygen prescibing will pay for i-STAT within a few months.

In the long term, that can significantly improve the patient’s quality of life; feeling better able to cope with their symptoms helps many COPD suffers to live a more active life. Axis-Shield UK promotes the best form of treatment – proactive and empowering.   

We’re helping PCTs manage their patients’ COPD better. We can help you too.

Call us on 01480 862100 or email us at COPD@axis-shieldUK.com.

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