PhysioUpdate 2nd August 2022

Smoking is the main risk factor for disability due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in many countries, according to a research study published today (28 July) in The BMJ. The paper’s lead author, Saeid Safiri, is based at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. The 10 co-authors are based in Iran, the UK, Australia, Canada and Cyprus.

Dr Safiri and his colleagues used data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study to update estimates of prevalence, deaths and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) – a combined measure of quantity and quality of life–due to COPD for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019.

They found that smoking contributed to almost half (46 per cent) of DALYs, followed by pollution from ambient particulate matter (21 per cent) and occupational exposure particulate matter, gases and fumes (16 per cent).

Emily* is a physiotherapist based at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry (Derry). She features alongside a patient called Maureen Quinn in a publication titled Digital Strategy: Health and social care Northern Ireland 2022-2030, which was released in draft form earlier this month.

The item, headed Personalisation of Care, aims to show how digital solutions focusing on ‘systems integration and streamlined information flows can optimise efficiency and productivity across care delivery and operations’.

Readers are told that Emily’s patients have a single digital record that is shared across all care settings, which means she can see the same information as other healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s care journey.