COPD Pulmonary Disease: A Case Study

Education in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has imparted me with an understanding of the impact on prevalence and costs in the United States (U.S.), and the necessary promotion of the 2020 Healthy People objectives in smoking cessation and reducing mobility impairment for patients with COPD (Wheaton, Cunningham, Ford, & Croft, 2015). And because of a newfound understanding of COPD physiology, I intend to apply the knowledge to positively impact the community (Ringdahl, 2014). The community nurse supports healthy conditions using an integrative approach and considers the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of people in need; for example, the employees’ health needs in a workplace environment (Fouladbakhsh & Szczesny, 2014). Supporting the work community requires a health needs assessment and the identification of primary, secondary and tertiary preventive services for the workplace, the worker, their family and community (Fouladbakhsh & Szczeny, 2014). A successful program in illness prevention or to maximize employee wellness at the workplace requires coordination with …show more content…
COPD is the third leading cause of death caused mostly by cigarette smoking (Westney et al., 2017). Additionally, 15.7 million people in the U.S. have COPD, and after diagnosis, 1/3 of the patients continue to smoke cigarettes (Wheaton et al., 2015). The costs of COPD the U.S. from medical and disability was 32 billion dollars in 2010, with an additional four billion because of absenteeism (Wheaton et al., 2015). And 24% of patients with COPD are unable to work compared to 5 % of people without COPD (Wheaton et al., 2015). The inability for COPD patients to work is caused by activity limitations and difficulty in walking from shortness of breath and muscle wasting (Wheaton et al.,