20/09/2017

ESTEVE IS LAUNCHING MOVIMIENTO EPOC, AN IN-DEPTH REVIEW OF THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS DISEASE IN SPAIN

This is the first editorial project aimed at analyzing the work of specialist centers in the management of COPD in Spain.

The goal is to highlight the real-world situations that healthcare professionals must face in this area and to recognize their commitment and the efforts they make on a daily basis.

The platform will host interviews, articles, photographs, and videos, and in 2017 hopes to count on the participation of over 20 prominent hospitals.

Hospital Quirónsalud Marbella and Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset (Valencia) are already involved in Movimiento EPOC.

ESTEVE has launched "Movimiento EPOC" (www.movimientoepoc.com), a project that seeks to reflect the various initiatives that are taking place in Spain to improve the management of this disease, in order to compile the most complete and accurate overview possible of the treatment of COPD in our country. The project also aims to acknowledge the daily work of healthcare professionals and the real-world situations they must face.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the leading cause of preventable death in Spain. It can be avoided in most patients, as 90% of cases are caused by smoking. It currently affects more than 2 million Spaniards, 70% of whom are undiagnosed, and accounts for 40% of consultations in respiratory medicine clinics2. Apart from the impact on the personal, social and working life of the patient, 2% of the national health system budget, equivalent to 0.2% of our GDP, is spent on COPD3.

"Movimiento EPOC" was developed in response to this situation, and is the first editorial project which aims to record and compile the full story of the commitment of healthcare professionals (pulmonologists, nurses, physiotherapists, etc.) and specialist centers to improving patient care and quality of life. A further aim is to recognize how their daily devotion has transformed the history of this disease in Spain over the years.

The Movimiento EPOC platform will be a hub for articles, photographs and videos, that will be updated every two weeks with new stories. It will be a forum for a wide range of experiences, special moments, and anecdotes featuring the most prestigious departments of the country. The goal during 2017 is to involve more than 20 hospitals, and then we hope this number will continue to grow.

Two reference centers have already joined the initiative

Two hospitals are already involved in the Movimiento EPOC initiative: Hospital Quironsalud Marbella and the Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset (Valencia).

The Respiratory Medicine Department of the Hospital Quirón Marbella (Marbella) is a pioneer in the introduction of new techniques to improve patient quality of life. One of these techniques is volume reduction, which "consists of placing valves or stents within the lung in patients with highly symptomatic pulmonary emphysema" explains the head of the department, Dr. José María Ignacio. He also emphasizes how closely the healthcare staff work with the patients, offering them personalized treatment, and points out that Spain is currently at the forefront of COPD management in Europe and the rest of the world.

Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset (Valencia) is developing a modern, cutting-edge respiratory medicine department that offers hospitalization, lung function testing laboratories, an area for bronchoscopic techniques, outpatient clinics (dedicated to the different diseases), and a nurse clinic, all in the one place. "The department team organizes all these facilities and coordinates with the other specialist departments and Primary Care", says Dr. Eva Martínez Moragon, head of the Respiratory Medicine Department of the hospital.

References:
1 Recent Trends in COPD prevalence in Spain: a repeated cross-sectioned survey 1997-2007 Eur Resp J. 2010; 36(4):758-765
2 Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica (SEPAR)
3 Escarrabill J. "The public health cost of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease". Arch Bronconeumol. 2003 Oct;39(10):435-6. PubMed PMID: 14533991. Epub 2003/10/10. Costes sanitarios de la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva cronica (EPOC). spa