Hand-held spirometers are tools familiar to healthcare professionals and used to assess and diagnose pulmonary functionality. Today’s spirometers are highly accurate and help identify asthma and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) and monitor the progress of both treatment and disease.
COPD affects an estimated 30 million Americans and is a leading cause of death in the United States. Patients who experience asthma or COPD rely on their healthcare providers to monitor their illnesses and prescribe treatments and medications to both improve their quality of life and extend their lives. This also helps to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.
The financial burden to effectively treat these illnesses is substantial, particularly during the moderate to severe stages. Because COPD is underdiagnosed, it is often undertreated, which can add to financial repercussions.
This whitepaper analyzes the current background, evaluation, and treatment of asthma and COPD using spirometry to effectively identify the disease and initiate treatment to improve patient care outcomes and enhance the patient experience, while cost-effectively managing the symptoms.