Thank you.
I'd like to start by emphasizing that the research we're talking about is probably very different from what you may imagine.
It's work that translates knowledge from basic research into real and early improvements in patient care, and it keeps people with lung disease out of our hospitals. To illustrate the tangible benefits of patient-oriented research, I'd like to give you an example that relates to the treatment of COPD.
This debilitating illness, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, starts in mid-life and causes gradual impairment over decades. It makes patients very susceptible to frequent episodes of severe acute illness. My colleague Christopher had to watch his own mother pass away from COPD.
COPD creates a sustained demand on medical services and has a long-term negative impact on economic productivity, and at this time, there's no single treatment for the disease. Fortunately, new research by a team of Canadians has opened the door for advances in COPD care. The team developed a new home-based self-management program. It's an alternative to traditional treatment using in-hospital rehab services.
The program provides education to patients, provides a clinical case manager, and they monitor their own symptoms and make decisions about their own physical activity in rehab exercises. The results of this program are striking: 50% fewer hospitalizations, 45% fewer exacerbations, and 73% fewer unscheduled doctor visits.
It also reduced treatment cost per patient by an impressive 38%. This example shows the fruits of practical research, and this is the type of research we are promoting. We think it will pay for itself.
In closing, we urge the finance committee to support the Canadian Lung Association's proposal for increased investment in respiratory health and research. A timely investment now will reap great dividends in the future.
Thank you.