Aims
COPD is a common cause for admissions to hospital in Singapore. COPD exacerbations lead to utilisation of healthcare services. The objective is to delineate the characteristics of patients who have been admitted to a tertiary referral hospital for COPD.
Methods
This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Patients with COPD were recruited between February 2012 and November 2013. Data on age, gender, ethnicity, presence of comorbidities, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score, presence of long-term oxygen therapy, inhaler compliance, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC were collected.
Results
203 patients were recruited for the study. They had a mean age of 73.1±9.9 years. 91.6% were male; 57.6% were of Chinese ethnicity. 22.7% had frequent hospital admissions. 70.0% had significant comorbidities, 3.94% had long-term oxygen therapy. Inhaler compliance data were available for 62 of the patients, and 16.1% were not compliant. CAT score data were available for 62 patients and 71.0% scored 10 or more. mMRC scale was available for 40 patients and 57.5% scored 3 or more. The severity of COPD was available for 165 patients with spirometric data: 24.2% mild, 44.2% moderate, 31.5% severe or very severe.
Conclusions
Patients who are admitted for COPD in a tertiary referral hospital are older and more likely to be of Chinese ethnicity. They also have the presence of significant comorbidities. They have moderately severe COPD. These findings allow us to understand the characteristics of the inpatient COPD population and help us tailor services to address their needs, such as telemedicine.