Abstract
Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with
significant morbidity and mortality, and treatments require a multidisciplinary
approach to address patient needs. This review considers different models of
care across the continuum of exacerbations (1) chronic care and self-management
interventions with the action plan, (2) domiciliary care for severe exacerbation
and the impact on readmission prevention and (3) the discharge care bundle for
management beyond the acute exacerbation episode. Self-management strategies
include written action plans and coaching with patient and family support.
Self-management interventions facilitate the delivery of good care, can reduce
exacerbations associated with admission, be cost-effective and improve quality
of life. Hospitalization as a complication of exacerbation is not always
unavoidable. Domiciliary care has been proposed as a solution to replace part,
and perhaps even all, of the patient’s in-hospital stay, and to reduce hospital
bed days, readmission rates and costs; low-risk patients can be identified using
risk stratification tools. A COPD discharge bundle is another potentially
important approach that can be considered to improve the management of COPD
exacerbations complicated by hospital admission; it comprised treatments that
have demonstrated efficacy, such as smoking cessation, personalized
pharmacotherapy and non-pharmacotherapy such as pulmonary rehabilitation. COPD
bundles may also improve the transition of care from the hospital to the
community following exacerbation and may reduce readmission rates. Future models
of care should be personalized – providing patient education aiming at behaviour
changes, identifying and treating co-morbidities, and including outcomes that
measure quality of care rather than focusing only on readmission quantity within
30 days.
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