Week 1 - Long Term Conditions Flashcards

1
Q

Define what a long term condition is

A
  • A condition than can be treated and managed, however NOT cured
  • A condition that is ‘non-communicable disease’ meaning you can’t catch it
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2
Q

Name some long term conditions

A
  • Autoimmune conditions like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis
    • Chrons disease - not autoimmune however does affect the immune system - inflammatory
      bowel condition
    • Cardiovascular disease
    • Cancers
    • Respiratory disease
    • Mental Illness
    • Chronic Pain
    • Chronic Kidney disease
    • Dementia
    • COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
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3
Q

What is the difference between a Long Term Condition and an acute illness?

A

Therefore Long term conditions are conditions that cannot be cured, however can be managed. An acute illness if treated correctly can be cured. Patients with Long Term conditions can still be admitted to hospital with acute exacerbations of their long term condition. For example Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - acute exacerbation (change in cough or sputum), or heart failure - acute exacerbation

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4
Q

What can empowering patient self-management of their long-term condition do for patients?

A
  • Reduce disease progression - improve their quality of life (QOL)
  • Increase the patients understanding of their ‘triggers’ - when they need to get medical help
    and from where
  • Reduce readmission to hospital-reduce costs to health system
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5
Q

Why is it important to understand long term conditions?

A
  • “Chronic illness is the leading cause of morbidity, mortality and inequitable health outcomes in NZ”
  • “Reducing the impact of long term conditions is a priority of the NZ health system. Service funders and providers need to be more flexible, innovative and able to measure the difference they are making for their populations. This high-level approach is people/whānau focused, not disease specific.”
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6
Q

What is COPD?

A

Progressive, chronic disease characterised by irreversible airway obstruction, hindering expiratory flow

Umbrella term encompassing emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other conditions

Each has their own pathophysiology but all contribute to airway inflammation initiated by a noxious irritant

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7
Q

What is Emphysema?

A

Lung disease which makes it harder for clients to breathe out. The Alveoli are damaged making it harder for effective gas exchange to occur as the air sacs enlarge, Emphysema causes big baggy alveoli (increased volume) so pressure drops – this makes it hard for CO2 to be expelled

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8
Q

What are the 4 major causes/risk factors for COPD cited by WHO

A
  • Tobacco smoking (Cigarettes, pipes, cannabis, second hand smoke)
  • Indoor pollutants (Biomass fuel used for cooking and heating (wood and coal) most common in developing countries)
  • Outdoor pollutants (Occupational dusts/chemicals, Particulate matter, ozone, sulpha dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and lead (industrialised areas) forest bush fires, agricultural burning, transport
  • Genetics, history of respiratory infections
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9
Q

What is Pursed lip Breathing?

A

It is a ventilatory strategy frequently adopted spontaneously for patients with COPD to relieve dyspnoea (difficultly breathing): it helps to counteract gas trapping. It generates an increased pressure in the airways to allow for expiration (airflow will move from an area of high to low pressure)

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10
Q

How does Pursed Lip Breathing help?

A

Pursed lip breathing works by moving oxygen into your lungs and carbon dioxide out of your lungs. This technique helps to keep airways open longer so that you can remove the air that is trapped in your lungs by slowing down your breathing rate and relieving shortness of breath

Emphysema causes big baggy alveoli (increased volume) so pressure drops – this makes it hard for CO2 to be expelled. Pursed lip breathing generates increased pressure so that intraluminal pressure exceeds atmospheric pressure and the breath can flow out of the lungs more easily. It is to aid expiration and decrease WOB (work of breathing).

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11
Q

What is Rheumatic Fever and why is it important to discuss?

A

Rheumatic fever may develop if strep throat or scarlet fever infections are not treated properly or after strep skin infections. Rheumatic fever is thought to be caused by a response of the body’s immune system. The immune system responds to the earlier strep throat or scarlet fever infection and causes a generalised inflammatory response.Strep throat is caused by the bacteria Group A Streptococcus.

If rheumatic fever is not treated promptly, rheumatic heart disease may occur. Rheumatic heart disease weakens the valves between the chambers of the heart. Severe rheumatic heart disease can require heart surgery and result in death.

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12
Q

Is Rheumatic Fever a long term condition?

A

Rheumatic fever is not a long term condition. Getting a precise diagnosis soon after symptoms show up can prevent the disease from causing permanent damage and can develop into rheumatic heart disease

  • Rheumatic Heart Disease is a long term condition
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13
Q

What populations does rheumatic fever impact on more than others?

A

Although anyone can get Rheumatic fever, It is more common in school aged children (age 5-15), Māori and Pacific children. Rheumatic fever is very rare in children younger than 3 years old and adults. Infectious illnesses, including group A strep, tend to spread wherever large groups of people gather. Crowded conditions can increase the risk of getting strep throat or scarlet fever, and thus rheumatic fever if they are not treated properly. These settings include:

- Schools
- Day-care centres
- Military training facilities

Someone who had rheumatic fever in the past is more likely to get rheumatic fever again if they get strep throat or scarlet fever again

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14
Q

What are the three steps health professions can do for long term condition?

A
  1. Primary Prevention
  2. Reduce disease progression
  3. Empower patients/whānau
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15
Q

What happens during primary prevention?

A

Screening - like cardiovascular disease risk assessment, Smear, Well man check, Mammography, vaccinations. Importance of education for primary prevention

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16
Q

What happens during reduce disease progression?

A

If there are early warning signs of type 2 diabetes, then lifestyle changes can be put into place for example to reverse the high levels of HbA1c back to within normal

17
Q

What happens during Empowering patients/whānau?

A

Utilise community support/ Long Term condition nurses/GP’s/PN’s (practical nurse)/ community groups to support a paradigm shift from a patient who is medically dependent to one who takes ownership of their own health/condition and empower them to self manage their long term condition to maintain an optimum level of health (for them) and reduce their incidence of hospital admissions and readmissions

18
Q

What are some strategies to help support a patient with a long term condition?

A
  • Develop a therapeutic relationship, trust. Acknowledge their challenges, include whānau
  • Understand the client’s motivators to stay well and self-manage their long term condition
  • Discuss and use a collaborative care approach, education and support
  • Look at barriers that may stop patients from self-managing and address these
    • Access to care

    • Cost
    • Not retaining the information which is being provided
  • Be guided by the Ministry of Health strategies and implement these into practice
  • Use an Inter-professional Approach
19
Q

What is important for someone who is been re-admitted to hospital for an acute exacerbation of their long term condition?

A
  • Discharge planning starts as soon as possible following admission
  • All the correct services are alerted to the admission and kept updated of possible discharge date - INTER-PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION (2 or more professions work together to achieve common goals for the client at the centre of their care)
  • Community services are restarted on patient discharge
20
Q

What are some health inequities in New Zealand for seeing a doctor?

A
  • The rate of good health was lower in disabled adults (58.9%) than in non-disabled adults (90.0%)
  • Psychological distress was more common in disabled adults (27.3%) than non-disabled adults (7.9%)
  • Māori (15.7%) and Pacific (15.2%) adults were more likely to report cost as a barrier to seeing a GP than European/Other (9.7%) and Asian (8.7%) adults
  • Cost was more likely to be a barrier to collecting a prescription in disabled adults (7.5%) than non-disabled adults (2.7%)