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The NHS could save in excess of £8 million a year and reduce the number of COPD patients admitted for emergency treatment by up to 50 per cent, if the correct investments were made in diagnostic devices at a primary care level – that’s the overriding conclusion from dramatic new figures calculated today by Axis Shield UK.
COPD is one of the nation’s most prolific diseases. Encompassing conditions like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, this debilitating condition affects approximately 1.5 per cent of the UK population. While many COPD sufferers are kept under close surveillance by the healthcare practitioners around them, many still remain at high risk of emergency admission to hospital – which can be costly to the NHS.
Every time a COPD patient is admitted unexpectedly to hospital, the associated financial impact is £2,337 and in 2003/4 the total cost to the NHS reached a staggering £253 million. As part of its ongoing work with a number of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Axis Shield UK has calculated that if each of the 152 healthcare trusts in the UK were to prevent just two emergency admissions a month, the overall cost saving would be £8,525,376.
Commenting, Sue Younghusband, marketing director for Axis Shield UK said: “Reducing COPD-related emergency admissions is now a major priority for the NHS and at the end of this year, the Department for Health will unveil its National Services Framework for COPD – an initiative designed to improve the quality of COPD services the length and breadth of the country. The External Reference Group (ERG) working on this project has already recognised the vital role innovative technologies will play in delivering improved quality of care and patient monitoring for COPD sufferers; something many forward thinking PCTs have also started to recognise.”
Continuing she said: “Our work with a number of respiratory clinics, operating at a primary care level, shows demand is already on the up for portable diagnostic devices like our handheld solution, i-STAT®. Measuring a range of parameters including blood gases and providing reliable, lab accurate test results in minutes, i-STAT® enables respiratory nurses to monitor the status of COPD patients while they are with them. This means informed decisions on accurate dosing, alterations to medication or the need for a patient to undergo further assessment can be made at the point of care. The benefits of this are twofold; less anxiety and inconvenience for patients, who can find out test results on the spot, plus reduced costs for PCTs if emergency admissions are prevented.”
More than 30 PCTs are now using i-STAT® from Axis Shield UK, which has the capacity to store up to 5,000 patient records. The device works by using advanced biosensor technology and as little as two drops of blood plus a test cartridge.
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