Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Self Management Tool

Abstract

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a complex progressive respiratory condition that eventually deprives the body of airflow and ultimately leads to complex exacerbation scenarios that can lead to death. In order to better manage exacerbation, an evidence-based project was produced that implemented a self-management tool in a form of a written COPD action plan used at a private pulmonary clinic in Oahu, Hawai’i. The goal was to implement a COPD action plan for patients in order for them to better manage and control symptoms and prevent further progression of exacerbations. The purpose of the project is to manage COPD exacerbations in the outpatient setting to decrease use of urgent care services including emergency department and hospitalizations. The setting of the implementation was at a private pulmonary clinic located at Pali Momi Medical Offices with a sample of 22 participants diagnosed with COPD. Data collection procedures included patient data collection from the clinic’s electronic health records (EHR), a pre-survey, and a post-survey.