COPD Assessment and Management Bundle Versus Usual Care

University of Illinois

Status: Completed

Conditions: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Treatments: Drug: Levalbuterol; Device: Spirometry test

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01833026

2012-0997

K23HL094461 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory (lung) disease that makes it harder to breathe over time. To date, there is no cure for COPD, but it can be managed when diagnosed and proper medical care is provided.

The purpose of this study is to determine if diagnosis and guided therapy with the use of spirometry is related to better patient outcomes (the condition of a patient's health) compared to usual care which may or may not include the use of spirometry. Spirometry is a standardized test used in medical practice that measures how much air your lungs can hold and how forcefully you can breathe out.

For this study, the investigators will compare two groups: 1) intervention (treatment) group and 2) usual care group (control). The intervention group will have a spirometry test and the results will be provided to the primary care physician. The usual care group will not initially have a spirometry test. Both groups will be followed for outcomes.

Full description

The purpose of this study is to determine if diagnosis and guided therapy with the use of spirometry is related to better patient associated outcomes compared to usual care which may or may not include the use of spirometry. To do this, we propose a comparative effectiveness trial of introducing a COPD assessment and management bundle targeted to primary care providers for patients suspected of having COPD versus usual care.

Enrollment: 56 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 40+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients, male and female, who are at least 40 years of age, receive primary treatment at the University of Illinois , and with any one of the following:

New Diagnosis

Inpatient or emergency department setting

1. New physician-diagnosis of COPD and/or new physician-diagnosis of asthma with a ≥10 pack year smoking without a spirometry 4 weeks or more after discharge from diagnosis setting.

   Outpatient setting

2. A new physician diagnosis of COPD within the past 6 months prior to their visit, without a spirometry or with a normal spirometry within the past 5 years prior to the diagnosis to the time of their visit.

3. A new physician diagnosis of asthma within past 6 months and a ≥10 pack year smoking history prior to their visit, without a diagnosis of COPD, without a spirometry or with a pre-bronchodilator spirometry with evidence of obstruction within the past 5 years prior to the diagnosis to the time of their visit.

4. Any patient with an existing physician-diagnosis of asthma within the past 2 years but > 6 months prior to the time of their visit and a ≥10 pack year smoking history, without a diagnosis of COPD, using a respiratory medication in the past year, and no spirometry on record or had a pre-bronchodilator spirometry with evidence of obstruction on record for at least the past 5 years.

   Existing Diagnosis

5. Any patient with an existing physician-diagnosis of COPD within the past 2 years but > 6 months prior to the time of their visit, and using a respiratory medication in the past year but no spirometry on record or had a spirometry without evidence of chronic obstruction in the past 5 years.

Exclusion criteria

1. Unable to perform adequate spirometry (e.g. muscle weakness, tracheostomy, cognitive dysfunction, mental retardation or other psychiatric disorders)
2. Non-English speaking
3. Pregnancy
4. Any patient planning to move away from the city within the next year.
5. Seen by a pulmonary specialist in the past 3 years.
6. Any terminal illness with a life expectancy of <6 months (e.g. hospice care, malignancies)
7. Any patient with a physician diagnosis of COPD and had a pre or post-bronchodilator spirometry with evidence of chronic obstruction on record.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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56 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

COPD assessment and management recommendations

Experimental group

Description:

Patients with a physician-diagnosed COPD or asthma suspicious for COPD being managed by the physician randomized to the intervention group will perform a spirometry test and provide information regarding their medical history on their initial visit, which is 90 minutes before their doctor's appointment. A letter containing the interpretation of spirometry test results, and recommendations for guideline based therapy based on GOLD guidelines will be available to the primary care doctor at the time of the patient's clinic visit. The doctor may review the results and use his or her own judgment in moving forward with the subject's diagnosis and management. A copy of the spirometry results and assessment based on the GOLD criteria at the time of the test of your subject will be uploaded to his or her electronic health record for future reference. Outcomes will be assessed every 3 months for up to one year through patient telephone calls and medical chart reviews.

Treatment:

Device: Spirometry test

Drug: Levalbuterol

Usual Care

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Patients with a physician-diagnosed COPD or physician-diagnosed asthma suspicious for COPD being managed by the physician randomized to the usual care group will provide medical history, not initially have a spirometry, and will be observed as usual care. Outcomes will be assessed every 3 months for up to one year through patient telephone calls and medical chart reviews. At the conclusion of the research study which will be 12 months from the patients' initial visit, patients being managed by the physician randomized to the usual care group will have a spirometry test and these results will not be shared with the doctor or the patients during the study but will be uploaded to the electronic health record after the end of the study for future reference.

Treatment:

Device: Spirometry test

Drug: Levalbuterol