Survey: COPD patients need more education on their disease state

WASHINGTON — Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may need more education and better dialogue with their physicians to effectively manage the progressive respiratory condition, according to key findings from a two-part national COPE, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Experience, Survey initiative released last week by the COPD Foundation.

While COPD exacerbations are a leading cause of hospitalization in the United States, nearly two-thirds (62%) of COPD patients surveyed admitted to not knowing much about them — and an additional 16% did not know what an exacerbation was at all. As many as 60% of COPD patients reported that they did not have an action plan for dealing with a flare-up. By contrast, in the part of the COPE Survey targeting physicians who treat COPD, almost all of them said they discuss exacerbations (98%) and establish action plans (92%) with their patients. This suggests an opportunity to improve care through more productive, meaningful communication between COPD patients and their physicians.

“Exacerbations can have a devastating impact on overall health, and they can actually cause COPD to progress even faster and reduce lung function,” said Scott Cerreta, director of education for the COPD Foundation. “Developing an action plan with instructions to help patients — and their caregivers — identify warning signs and what steps to take if an exacerbation should occur is a critical part of managing COPD.” 

Additionally, the survey revealed that only 12% of COPD patients consider their condition to be “completely controlled” and indicated that COPD disrupts patients’ ability to complete normal daily activities, such as exercising (87%), climbing stairs (86%) and walking (77%). However, as many as 82% of patients who have a COPD treatment regimen said they are satisfied with it, suggesting that many may be unaware that more could be done.

“COPD can be treated, but it’s crucial for doctors to diagnose it early and for patients to follow the appropriate therapeutic strategies to improve symptoms, increase activity and reduce the chances of exacerbations,” said MeiLan Han, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan. “It's important that physicians develop an individualized approach that works best for each patient.”

The COPE patient and physician surveys were conducted by the COPD Foundation with support from Forest Labs as part of Forest’s MORE Matters education campaign. The initiative aims to provide people living with COPD and their caregivers what they want more of: education about the condition, helpful resources and the support needed to help them manage the disease.