Submission 2023
| Submitted by: | Solmaz Bohlouli |
| Department: | Medicine |
| Faculty: | Medicine & Dentistry |
“Sometimes breathing is a huge accomplishment…”
This image symbolizes all the burdens that those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) experience. The many rocks represent the numerous daily challenges that sufferers of COPD face, such as obstructed airflow to the lungs making breathing difficult, having to take multiple medications, and requiring frequent hospital visits to manage COPD exacerbations effectively. These rocks make everyday tasks cumbersome, ultimately resulting in missing out on life.
COPD is the third-leading cause of death worldwide. Inadequate COPD treatment causes exacerbations and worsening of symptoms, directly linked to increased healthcare costs in Alberta. My research focuses on medication use before, during, and after hospitalization for COPD in Alberta to address this knowledge gap at a population level to help inform further changes in best practices, improve quality of life, and lower health care costs associated with COPD.
These heavy rocks stacked on each other illustrate how simple things like breathing become so difficult that every breath feels like an accomplishment!