Abstract
A gap exists between guidelines and real-world clinical practice for the management and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although this has narrowed in the last decade, there is room for improvement in detection rates, treatment choices and disease monitoring. In practical terms, primary care practitioners need to become aware of the huge impact of COPD on patients, have non-judgemental views of smoking and of COPD as a chronic disease, use a holistic consultation approach and actively motivate patients to adhere to treatment. This article is based on discussions at a virtual meeting of leading Nordic experts in COPD (the authors) who were developing an educational programme for COPD primary care in the Nordic region. The article aims to describe the diagnosis and lifelong management cycle of COPD, with a strong focus on providing a hands-on, practical approach for medical professionals to optimise patient outcomes in COPD primary care.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 244 |
Journal | BMC Family Practice |
Volume | 22 |
Number of pages | 17 |
ISSN | 1471-2296 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 11. Dec 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021, The Author(s).
Keywords
- Chronic obstructive
- Primary health care
- Pulmonary disease
- Referral and consultation general practice
- Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/diagnosis
- Humans
- Primary Health Care
- Referral and Consultation
- Chronic Disease
- Smoking