Satisfaction among patients accepted onto Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Outreach in Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) during the nationwide lockdown period as compared to patients accepted pre COVID 19

Title: Satisfaction among patients accepted onto Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Outreach in Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) during the nationwide lockdown period as compared to patients accepted pre COVID 19
Author(s): C Scallan A Armstrong M Baily Scanlan M Kooblall A Subramanian E Moloney S Lane
Institution: Tallaght University Hospital
Poster: Click to view poster
Category: Asthma and COPD
Abstract: This study looked at the satisfaction of patients accepted onto the COPD Outreach programme in TUH during the nationwide lockdown period (March to May 2020) as compared to patients accepted pre COVID19.

The COVID19 pandemic has caused major disruption across the health service in Ireland – COPD Outreach in TUH included. The usual programme of home visits to patients following discharge with an acute exacerbation of COPD was interrupted. As a result, all patient contact during the lockdown period was completed over the phone. This was not ideal and it was decided to assess patients’ satisfaction with the quality of the care received during this period.

Satisfaction questionnaires are routinely posted out to patients following their discharge from COPD Outreach. Eighteen patients were accepted onto the COPD Outreach programme during the lockdown period. These received telecontact questionnaires by the unbiased hospital administration team. Eighteen questionnaires from 2019 were randomly selected and the responses were compared to those from the lockdown period.

Both groups were “very satisfied” with the overall care and service they received from the COPD Outreach team. This is very positive as it may allow the service to expand to those outside our traditional catchment area in the future.