Health Beat lung disease
Grapetree Village | 2001 E. 29th
New Patients Welcome Appointments Available Monday through Friday
509.534.4600
2009-2014 Reader's Survey
BEST DENTIST
“An IPF diagnosis can be the start of a lonely journey. Many patients feel embarrassed by common symptoms such as coughing, and feel that other people often keep their distance because of it. By helping patients and caregivers understand IPF and how it affects daily life, we want to better support this community, especially in the early, critical phases of diagnosis and treatment,” says Richard Kradin, MD, pulmonologist and psychiatrist, Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, who also served as an Advisory Committee member for the EXPLORE IPF survey. The survey also pinpoints aspects of medical care that contribute to the challenges facing patients and caregivers. On average, patients spent nearly two years and visited between two and three doctors before finally getting diagnosed. More than half of people surveyed also had trouble finding a doctor who knew about the disease. People who care for someone with IPF also were found to experience dramatic shifts in their lives, including a significant decrease in satisfaction with their independence and social lives. Caregivers used words like ‘hectic’ or ‘stressful’ to describe their lives after diagnosis. Like IPF patients, the majority of caregivers also felt isolated because they didn’t have other IPF caregivers to connect with. “Based on these findings, the EXPLORE IPF Advisory Committee believes greater understanding will ultimately better provide for the needs of this community so they can get the necessary care earlier and appropriate support following diagnosis,” says Dr. Kradin. The EXPLORE IPF survey was sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and led by a multidisciplinary Advisory Committee of IPF thought leaders and advocates dedicated to addressing the unmet needs of this patient community. Visit www.LungsandYou.com for more information on the EXPLORE IPF survey. – BPT
2009 - 2014
112
spokanecda.com • MAY • 2015