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A common respiratory issue prevalent in Americans is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). COPD is a chronic respiratory disease which includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and nonreversible asthma (Johnson, 2018). People living with COPD frequently develop other issues as the disease progresses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anxiety, and depression (Johnson, 2018).

There are three levels of prevention. Primary prevention is behaviors which will prevent COPD from ever occurring. It would include reducing risk factors such as smoking cessation, avoiding secondhand smoke exposure, and avoiding exposure to harmful air pollutants. Secondary prevention is after diagnosis of COPD, but before symptoms become severe or before other comorbidities arise. Secondary prevention interventions would be engaging in regular exercise to improve mobility and cardiac function, healthy diet, and relaxation (Johnson, 2018). Tertiary prevention is managing chronic illness and focuses on improving quality of life and life expectancy (Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, 2015). This would include medications to manage COPD exacerbations.

Nursing care for COPD patient would include educating patient on health promotion activities. For COPD patients, health promotion would include avoiding cigarette smoke and taking medications as prescribed. It is important for COPD patients to receive the pneumonia vaccine, as they are high risk for developing complications associated with pneumonia. COPD patients should also follow nutritional recommendations, which may include increasing calorie intake due to additional requirements because of their excessive work of breathing (Johnson, 2018). It is important for patients to be educated on health promotion and prevention for management of COPD to prevent recurrent hospital admissions and early mortality.

References:
Johnson, A. (2018). Cardiorespiratory complexities. In Pathophysiology: Clinical Applications for Client Health. Grand Canyon University (Ed.). Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs410v/pathophysiology-cl…

Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. (2015). Institute for Work & Health. Retrieved from: https://www.iwh.on.ca/what-researchers-mean-by/pri…