The American Lung Association and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) released a new guide to improve quality of life and reduce emergency department visits and hospitalizations for those living with advanced lung disease.
The free “NPHI Advanced Lung Care Provider Guide” is the second in a series designed to help people with advanced lung disease. The provider guide, along with its Patient and Caregiver Guide counterpart released last year, can assist providers, people living with lung disease, and caregivers in learning and practicing skills to prevent or manage respiratory symptoms at home while under the care of their medical team.
Chronic lung disease can be a tremendous burden for people living with the disease and their families. In 2016, there were more than 2 million emergency department visits and more than 650,000 hospitalizations due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one of the most prevalent chronic lung diseases. COPD also costs the healthcare system more than $50 billion a year—mostly due to ER visits and hospitalizations.
“More than 34 million Americans live with chronic lung disease, so it is critical for us to provide support for the people with the disease, their caregivers, and the healthcare providers who are helping them,” says Deb Brown, chief mission officer for the American Lung Association, in a news release. “By partnering with NPHI on this new guide, we are not only offering more critical resources to people who need them but are also able to distribute this guide through NPHI’s deep network of professionals nationwide.”
Both the Provider and Patient and Caregiver Advanced Lung Care Guides were put together with the collective input of over 100 advanced illness and hospice care organizations. These resources are for people experiencing severe symptoms from chronic lung disease, which includes COPD, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, pulmonary hypertension, and lung cancer.
“It is imperative that we continually innovate to ensure the delivery of the highest quality care possible consistently across the US. It will be easier for medical providers to deliver this excellent care as a result of this new guide,” says Cameron Muir, chief innovation officer at NPHI, in a release. “We value our collaboration with the American Lung Association and the input of dozens of advanced illness care providers across the nation who have helped establish best practices for chronic lung disease patients. When used effectively, both our Provider and Patient-Caregiver guides will improve the well-being and comfort of thousands of patients living with advanced lung disease.”
The free Patient and Caregiver Guide released in 2022 includes tips for symptom management and self-care, medications, diet, advance care planning, and more. It is available to people living with chronic lung disease, their medical providers, and their caregivers and families at www.hospiceinnovations.org.
