Integrated care best in chronic lung disease

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Fewer hospital admissions resulted when patients with chronic lung disease had integrated care, say researchers in Spain.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disabling disorder, caused by ongoing destruction of lung tissue. Hospital admissions caused by exacerbations of COPD are a major and costly issue. Now a team at the University of Barcelona, Spain, report upon the impact of an integrated care approach on hospital admissions for COPD in a group of 155 patients.

The integrated care idea depends upon shared care between primary care and hospital teams aiming to prevent duplication between different levels of the healthcare system. A web-based call center was an important part of the integrated approach. After 12 months, 31 per cent of those in the integrated care group had re-admissions to hospital, compared with 49 per cent of those in the usual care group. The researchers think that enhanced knowledge of the disease and increased treatment adherence are the features of integrated care that can deliver these benefits.

Source
European Respiratory Journal July 2006