Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Respiratory Pulmonary diseases
Conditions
Interventions
Control arm: patients with exacerbation COPD receive 'care as usual'.
Intervention arm: patients with exacerbations are treated by their General Practitioner (GP) following the study p
Sponsors
University Maastricht (The Netherlands)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Patient meets the clinical criteria of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): a. Chronic bronchitis: chronic cough and sputum production on most days during at least three months of the year, during at least two consecutive years and/or b. COPD defined as an expiratory flow obstruction determined by spirometry, where the disorder does not vary seriously during several months of observation 2. Diagnosis of COPD in medical dossier 3. Indications for exacerbation a. Increased dyspnoe, +/- accompanied by increased volume and/or purulence of sputum and/or cough b. Increased dyspnoe developed in a short period (less than four weeks) c. Adaptation in medication is necessary
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Inadequate cognitive functioning 2. Inadequate of mastering the Dutch language 3. Terminal patient 4. Other infection at the same time that needs antibiotic treatment 5. Serious underlying diseases: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), neutropenia less than 1.0 x 10^9/l 6. Age less than 40 or more than 80 years
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Improvement in patients' health (faster recovery). | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The health care process (use of antibiotics and health care services). | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Outcome results
None listed