Download this resource

Living well with COPD – New online resource

Written by Education for Health and the European Lung Foundation

COPD is one of the most prevalent diseases not just in the UK, but across Europe. In fact the latest figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), estimates that 210 million people suffer from COPD worldwide. Obviously, this has a huge impact on healthcare systems, patients and society, for example in the UK alone, there are at least twice as many doctor visits for COPD as for angina.

The European Lung Foundation (ELF) is the public voice of the European Respiratory Society (ERS), a not-for-profit medical organisation with more than 9,000 members in more than 100 countries. The ELF is dedicated to lung health throughout Europe, and draws together the leading European medical experts to provide patient information and raise public awareness about respiratory disease. 

By working together, the European Lung Foundation and Education for Health have developed a simple, easy to read factsheet which aims to show people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their friends and family how they can live a full life with this disease. It aims to educate the general public, patients and healthcare professionals alike, with focus on educating less developed countries. It explains the causes, how to help the condition through diet and exercise, prescribed treatments, monitoring the illness, worsening of symptoms and exacerbations, but with the ultimate aim of living well with COPD.

Monica Fletcher, Chief Executive of Education for Health is also Chair of the Primary Care Group of the ERS, and as part of this role she brought together an international multi-disciplinary team which developed this factsheet. Monica says “You’ll find it’s a simple resource for you to use with patients and their relatives to explain what COPD is in a straight forward and clear manner. You can download it from the website yourself or direct patients to the ELF site for them to do this themselves.”

Download the ‘Living well with COPD’ factsheet for you and your patients here.

This factsheet is one of a series which the European Lung Foundation regularly produces on a wide range of subjects related to lung health which includes allergic rhinitis, asthma, spirometry, smoking and TB. They have been reviewed by members of the ERS who are experts in the field.

The full range is freely available to download in a range of European languages at:

http://www.european-lung-foundation.org/index.php?id=1037

This factsheet is based on a publication by Respirar, a part of the Spanish pulmonary group (SEPAR) and on ‘Living with COPD’

(http://www.library.nhs.uk/respiratory/ViewResource.aspx?resID=187257) written by Monica Fletcher, Chief Executive of Education for Health.

Published: February 2010

Categories: Improvement tools

Documents

• Living well with COPD factsheet

< Back