Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Latest NewsHealth and safetyOccupational HealthWellbeing

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease costs firms millions

by Personnel Today 26 Oct 2011
by Personnel Today 26 Oct 2011

Four workers out of 10 aged between 45 and 67 who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are forced to retire prematurely because of the condition, research has suggested.

The study, COPD uncovered: an international survey on the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on a working age population, by charity Education for Health, was presented at this year’s European Respiratory Society congress and published in the online BMC Public Health journal.

It calculated the estimated lifetime income loss per individual because of such premature retirement to be $316,000 (£200,000), giving a combined total of $141 million (£89.6 million) for the cohort studied.

COPD was also costing employers in productivity and sick leave. In Europe, productivity losses amounted to a total of €28.5 billion per year, it calculated.

The report found that the average age of retirement of someone with COPD is around 54, and that the disease led to reduced tax and pension contributions and an increase in the use of healthcare systems.

For those remaining in active employment, lost time from absence from work resulted in average lifetime losses of $7,365 (£4,661), rising to as high as $20,805 (£13,257) in Turkey.

More than one-fifth (22%) of those polled said that they needed regular care on a daily basis from family and friends, and, of these, more than half needed constant care for at least part of every day. Loss of income on an annual basis for carers was $16,045 (£10,155).

The total annual healthcare bill was estimated to be $5.74 million (£3.63 million), excluding the cost of pulmonary rehabilitation, with the annual cost per individual estimated at $2,364 (£1,500).

More than half of those polled had accessed primary care services within the previous month.

The report also recommended that healthcare professionals had appropriate knowledge to treat people with COPD effectively, measure the health status of each patient to assess the full impact of COPD symptoms on their life, and design patient management plans to address all elements of a patient’s life, including ability to work, rather than focusing solely on clinical measures.

Employers, too, needed to provide more access to smoking-cessation programmes and health and wellbeing information messages.

They needed to “consider liaising with an occupational health practitioner to ensure any information/programmes/environmental assistance they provide is beneficial and tailored to their workforce” and keep themselves informed about the impact of COPD on their business and employees, it recommended.

Monica Fletcher, chief executive of Education for Health and lead author, said: “Significant benefits could be achieved if greater steps were taken to prevent the condition, such as earlier diagnosis and appropriate management strategies.”

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Nick Clegg pledges ‘protected conversations’ as part of Government’s red-tape reform
next post
Future vision of work patterns revealed

You may also like

Signs of severe eating disorders often missed, warns...

23 May 2022

Hybrid working trends: ONS data on where people...

23 May 2022

Aspers casino cashier excluded by colleagues wins £75k...

23 May 2022

GPs call for new OH service to relieve...

23 May 2022

NHS should upskill admin staff to reduce waiting...

23 May 2022

Pay gap between CEOs and employees set to...

23 May 2022

Occupational health key to helping employers manage long...

23 May 2022

Plan to enforce minimum service during rail strikes...

23 May 2022

‘It’s International HR Day – wait, you didn’t...

20 May 2022

Policeman dubbed ‘Dolly Parton’ for working Nine to...

20 May 2022

  • The importance of being an ethical leader and how to become one PROMOTED | What is ethical leadership?...Read more
  • RPO Report: 2022, The Year to Outsource PROMOTED | Employers should be overwhelmed with choice...Read more
  • Report: Enabling organisational agility through talent & people success PROMOTED | Work has been challenged...Read more
  • Employee Trends 2022 report PROMOTED | Edenred research on employees analysed the key employees’ trends for 2022...Read more
  • How finance apprenticeships can boost business PROMOTED | As the world’s most forward-thinking professional accountancy body...Read more
  • Paul Devoy: Showing appreciation to the Investors in People community PROMOTED | Ask most people what comes to mind when you mention Investors in People...Read more
  • White paper: How digitalisation can support evolving occupational health PROMOTED | Download this free white paper to discover how digitalisation can help occupational health meet emerging challenges...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today