We were reading on Saturday The duty that the delays in obtaining spirometry results can reach up to three years, in some places, in the network. In general, across Quebec, we are talking about a 12-month wait for a result. These delays are simply unacceptable. Here’s why.
In Quebec, nearly 600,000 people are diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Currently, COPD is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of hospitalization in Quebec.
COPD primarily includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both diseases develop slowly and cause progressive obstruction of airflow through the airways, reducing the ability to breathe normally. When breathing becomes difficult, the whole quality of life declines.
Back to the spirometric tests. These tests, conducted by respiratory therapists, are essential for diagnosing COPD. The diagnosis is essential to ensure the patient’s care within the health network and lead him to rehabilitation, which will allow him to regain control of his breathing, and of his life.
In short, the three-year wait times for spirometry mean that the patient’s condition will begin to deteriorate, slowly but surely, with nothing done to slow the disease, until it reaches a point of no -return.
That said, beyond spirometry, there is so much to do to regain the upper hand in our fight against COPD. The Quebec Lung Association (APQ) brought together and consulted patients and healthcare professionals during the Estates General on COPD. The findings of the exercise are clear.
First, the key is to ensure that spirometry is performed within 90 days to expedite diagnosis. Achieving this single objective would make it possible to prevent thousands of hospitalizations every year, but above all to concretely improve the quality of life of thousands of Quebecers.
Next, efforts must notably strengthen early care, by decentralizing it and through public support for community initiatives. The APQ also recommends developing a one-stop service aimed at directing patients to educational services and support groups on COPD.
Once diagnosed and taken care of, patients should then be encouraged to follow rehabilitation and maintenance programs, carried out by multidisciplinary teams made up of several professionals, such as kinesiologists. These programs are expensive, and often paid for by the patient, but they allow significant savings in care to our already overloaded health network. Financial incentives, such as tax credits, should be provided to offset their costs to patients.
Finally, all these efforts will be in vain if we do not add to them an increased prevention offensive. To this end, efforts to stop smoking, in terms of air quality or for the adoption of an active lifestyle among young people are certainly the least costly way of “treating” COPD upstream, by preventing any simply its appearance among many Quebecers.
The procedure is quite simple. However, it must be deployed. Accelerating spirometry testing is key, but must be followed by several other actions. After two years of a major crisis caused by a respiratory virus, we no longer have any excuses to tolerate inefficiency in the fight against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It’s time to act.