Main pic: The LUH Respiratory Team and Respiratory Integrated Care Team.
Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) is to roll out a ‘life-changing’ new programme for COPD sufferers in Donegal.
Details of ‘The Virtual Ward’ were released at a well attended COPD Information Day seminar which was held in the Mount Errigal Hotel last week.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common treatable lung condition. People with COPD often experience difficulty in breathing, a persistent cough with phlegm and frequent chest infections.
The aim of the new LUH initiative is said to ensure people with the debilitating respiratory condition can be treated at home without having to come into hospital, attendees were told.
One COPD sufferer who attended the conference, and who did not wish to be named, described the development as ‘exciting news’.
“Participants selected to take part in the new programme will be supplied with monitors, such as iPads, so medical experts at the hospital will know, in consultation with them, if a ‘flair up’ is imminent,” they said.
“As a result, the patient can be issued with medication, such as antibiotics, before the flare up occurs. The idea is that this will vastly reduce the need to attend hospital – it looks like the future (of COPD treatment).”
The conference also heard that a north Donegal man who took part in the pilot programme said it was ‘life changing’ for him.
From left, Alana Kiernan, COPD Outreach Nurse Specialist; Patricia Mc Laughlin, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Respiratory; Dr Olga Mikulich, Respiratory Consultant; and Eimear Masterson, COPD Outreach Physiotherapist.
The main speaker at the event was Dr Olga Milkulich, Respiratory Consultant at LUH.
“Approximately 5,500 people currently live with the condition in Donegal,” a spokesperson for the hospital said.
“Over 170 people attended on the day and had the opportunity to meet with all of the respiratory team. A series of presentations were delivered on the day including a new initiative from Respiratory Integrated Care, the virtual ward. Feedback from the event was extremely positive.”
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