The health journal of CareClinic is one of the most exciting features, helping you manage your condition in an effective manner. You can record symptoms in the journal, as well as medication, potential side-effects and response to certain treatments or therapies.

It is possible to add information about your current diet, as well as physical activities and sleep quality/frequency. A comprehensive health report will be created based on the information you have entered at the end of each month.

Apart from recording and monitoring your COPD symptoms, you can trust the health journal to keep track of important measurements. For instance, you can record your breathing frequency and volume – these are highly-essential parameters for someone who suffers from a respiratory disease. Of course, you can also record your blood pressure, respiratory gases values and other useful measurements.

The health report, which is generated from the data you have logged, can be shared with the doctor quite easily. You can either export it as a PDF document or print it out, using it to improve the communication with different healthcare professionals. Together, you can establish the best treatment regimens, suited to your medical needs.

Better breathing with CareClinic COPD app

You can improve your breathing with the help of CareClinic. Using it as a COPD breathing app, you can make entries regarding the correct management of inhalers and even add breathing exercises of your health journal.

For a person diagnosed with COPD, inhaled medicine might be a part of the daily routine. However, this will only work its effect upon being correctly administered. You can make recordings of proper techniques, in accordance to your inhaler type and also program the dosing schedule. Of course, you can set up reminders to use the inhaler at specific moments in the day.

COPD Management and Treatment

Based on the above-mentioned symptoms and with the help of standardized investigations, such as spirometry, imaging studies (X-ray, CT, MRI) and arterial blood gas testing, one can make the diagnosis of COPD. Depending on the severity of the condition and the pre-existing conditions, the doctor might recommend a number of treatment solutions.

Medication is often prescribed for the management of this chronic condition. Bronchodilators, either to be inhaled or in the form of tablets, are recommended to improve breathing and reduce the production of mucus. Common choices include beta-2-sympathomimetics and the ophylline. The dilatation of the bronchial tubes can also be obtained with anticholinergics, which offer similar benefits in terms of breathing capacity/quality.

If the patient experiences acute respiratory distress, beta-2-sympathomimetics are commonly administered. In accordance with the exhibited manifestations, the doctor might prescribe medication with short-term effects, such as Salbutamol, or drugs with a longer period of action, including Indacaterol, Formoterol or Salmeterol.

Theophylline is a medication which is often kept as a last resort. It can dilate the bronchial tubes but it can also lead to a number of serious side-effects. Cortisone has potent anti-inflammatory properties and it can be inhaled, but it can cause the patient to become dependent.

Specific medication is administered to reduce the production of mucus and make the chronic cough less severe/frequent. Apart from mucolytic medicine, bronchodilators might be recommended, especially with a slow-acting effect (for example, one can administer Tiotropium). These are suited to those who do not exhibit an improvement of symptoms after being treated with beta-2-sympathomimetics.

Additional treatment/management solutions include:

• Vaccination (influenza, pneumococcal disease)
• Oxygen therapy
• Beta-blockers (reduce the risk of life-threatening heart conditions, such as myocardial infarction)
• Physical therapy
• Patient education (inhalation techniques)

Read my more blogs from here