People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could benefit from access to two NHS digital rehabilitation services.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended the NHS offers COPD patients access to ‘myCOPD‘ and ‘SPACE for COPD‘ to deliver pulmonary rehabilitation exercise and education programmes.
According to NHS Digital, an estimated 1.17 million people in England had been diagnosed as living with respiratory condition in 2021. A further two million are thought to be living with undiagnosed COPD.
Exacerbations caused by COPD are the second most common cause of emergency hospital admissions, accounting for one in eight of all UK hospital admissions.
Evidence suggests that 90% of patients who complete a face-to-face pulmonary rehabilitation programme experience increased exercise capacity and improved quality of life.
However, according to the NHS Long Term Plan, such programmes are currently only offered to 13% of eligible patients, and normally with a focus on those with more severe COPD, NICE has said.
The two digital platforms could be appropriate for those who do not have access to a rehabilitation service where they live, do not wish to be seen in person, or would prefer not to be treated in person for convenience, it has recommended.
The move follows a recommendation back in the autumn that stroke patients should be offered additional rehabilitation to help them recover, despite NICE recognising this is likely to put NHS and community rehab teams under even greater pressure.
Mark Chapman, interim director of NICE’s Health Technologies Programme, said: “There is a huge unmet need for access to pulmonary rehabilitation programmes by people with COPD.
“Our committee hopes by recommending two digital technologies which provide these programmes they could help people living in areas without access to an in-person service to receive the vital care they need.
“With more than a million people suffering from this debilitating condition, it’s important that NICE continues to focus on what matters most and continue to provide useful and useable guidance for the conditions which severely impact people and the health service,” he added.
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