World COPD Day is November 15: Show Your Patients You Care!

As respiratory therapists, you support your COPD patients every day, at the bedside with lifesaving treatments, in pulmonary rehabilitation programs with education and exercise, and in home and long term care settings with supplemental oxygen and other therapies aimed at improving quality of life.

But this November 15 you can go the extra mile, by taking your knowledge and skills in COPD out into your communities in support of World COPD Day. Scheduled to coincide with the middle of COPD Month, World COPD Day is spearheaded by the International COPD Coalition in partnership with the AARC and other co-sponsors interested in raising global awareness of COPD.

The need is great, because statistics show COPD is currently the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, affecting at least 10 percent of all adults over the age of 40. According to the World Health Organization, this means more than 600 million people are suffering with COPD today, many of them undiagnosed and untreated.

As key clinicians involved in COPD care, respiratory therapists can and should use their connections within hospitals and other facilities to educate their patients and organize media events and community service activities to turn the spotlight on this devastating but increasingly treatable condition.

Here are just a few ideas on how you can get involved:

• Host a spirometry screening to inform your community of the role this important test plays in diagnosing COPD.
• Offer a smoking cessation clinic specifically for COPD patients to highlight the key role smoking cessation plays in treating the condition.
• Hold a clinic to explain correct use of MDIs/DPIs to COPD patients using these medications.
• Schedule an informative lecture for COPD patients who have been newly diagnosed to assist them in better understanding the disease.

We’re also asking everyone to take part in a Photo Project being sponsored by the International COPD Coalition and World Health Organization. These groups are looking for great shots of COPD patients engaged in activities and daily living. The goal is to put a face on the disease, so please help by snapping shots of your patients in action and then submitting them for the project!

The AARC has compiled a great list of resources to help you get started on all your World COPD Day activities—

AARC resources you can share with patients and use in your community service events:

YourLungHealth.org: The AARC’s consumer web site has a wealth of information on COPD aimed directly at patients. Among the top choices—

• A comprehensive overview of COPD, complete with a definition of the condition, how it is caused, how it is diagnosed, and what people can do to treat it.
• Ask Dr. Tom, a great feature where patients and providers alike can get answers from world renowned pulmonologist Tom Petty, MD, FAARC.
• Use Your Inhaler Correctly, an online tutorial initially set up for Respiratory Care Week that will help patients get the most out of their medications.  
• 60 Second Checkup Radio Series, which featured a special segment on COPD in September.
• Smoking cessation resources to help COPD patients kick the habit.
• Living Well with Lung Disease Health Tips, including several specifically targeting people with COPD.

AARC.org: The Association’s main web site is also full of news, information, and resources pertaining to COPD, including great public relations resources that will help you gain media coverage for your events—

• AARC Webcasts: Check out the archived webcasts for presentations on everything from Effective Use of Spirometry for Early Detection of COPD to COPD Management: Maximizing all the Options.
• AARC Headline News: Scroll through our news archive to find numerous articles related to COPD—including several pertaining to recent developments concerning the use of new portable oxygen concentrators onboard commercial flights and the impact these rules are having on quality of life for COPD patients who use supplemental oxygen.
• Confronting COPD in America: Use the statistics in the groundbreaking “Breathless in America” report to prepare your educational and media materials.
• Public Relations Resources: Take advantage of the AARC’s public relations materials to learn more about how to contact media sources and get coverage for your World COPD Day events and activities. 
• Free Photos: Looking for photos to illustrate your PR materials? The AARC’s Photo Gallery offers free downloadable photos of RTs working with a wide variety of patients.  
• AARC Press Releases: You can also take advantage of past AARC press releases, many of which target COPD and its related issues. 
• Tobacco Resources: Smoking is the number one cause of COPD, and quitting smoking is considered key to treating the condition. The AARC has gathered a wealth of resources on tobacco cessation that may help in your World COPD Day efforts—including some great PowerPoint presentations.  

And be sure to read your November issue of AARC Times, which should be in the mail soon. The issue features several articles on COPD—including some heartwarming “COPD Stories” from RTs and patients who have developed special connections.

Resources from AARC partners you can use to spread the word:

NLHEP.org: The National Lung Health Education Program web site features—

• Downloadable posters in English and Spanish that encourage the use of spirometry to diagnose COPD.
• Save Your Breath, America!, a popular brochure covering all the COPD basics.
• Test Your Lungs—Know Your Numbers, another brochure featuring an overview of the organization’s program to promote the use of spirometry in physicians offices.
• Links to resources available from the federal government, American College of Chest Physicians, and more.

USCOPD.com: Check out the U.S. COPD Coalition web site for—

• What is COPD?, an informative patient education brochure.
• COPD Quick Facts, a list of statistics on the disease.
• Links to other COPD-related organizations.

GOLDcopd.org: Use this template press release from GOLD.

GOLD has prepared a template press release that you can adapt with local information to distribute to your media contacts. Here are a few tips for using the release in your event:

• Describe your World COPD Day event and who is involved.
• Add a quote from the GOLD National Leader or other COPD expert in your country.
• Include statistics on the burden of COPD in your area.
• Be sure to include a contact number where you can be reached for questions!
• Distribute your release to your media contacts 2 to 4 days before World COPD Day. Be sure to note that the information in the release is embargoed for 00.01 hrs GMT on November 15.

Sample documents proclaiming November as COPD Awareness Month:

Here is a sample you can use to request a proclamation in your city or state for COPD Month.

Sample Proclamation from the State of Connecticut (PDF)

Sample Proclamation from the State of Maine (JPEG)

States that have already received proclamations for this year’s event include:

• Nebraska
• Maine
• Connecticut
• Utah

Share your stories and events:

Lastly, be sure to share your events and activities—including any media coverage you receive for them—with the AARC. Let us know what you have planned, and then follow up with a report on your activities after they are complete. Please send information and pictures to milligan@aarc.org.