Community care assessment of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Source:  Journal of Advanced Nursing

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: November 2010

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Found that the majority of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations can be safely managed in a community setting, but clinical assessment alone may not be sufficient to identify all patients who will develop complications such as respiratory failure. Further research is needed to validate clinical assessment and
decision-making algorithms for community-management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations.

Length of publication:  10 pages

Some important notes: Original article may be available with an NHS Athens username; contact your local NHS library service for details.  Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Acknowledgement: Cinahl

NICE calls for a more holistic approach to COPD assessment

Source: NICE

Follow this link for the full-text

Date of publication: 21 October 2010

Publication type: Clinical Guideline

In a nutshell: The updated guidelines say that GPs and practice nurses should not diagnose the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on measurements of airflow alone, but should consider other factors such as breathlessness and BMI.  The warning is that disability in COPD can be poorly reflected by FEV1, a measure of airflow severity.

Length of publication:  Weblink