Self Management Plan Suggested to Help Control COPD

Following the advice of the Department of Health to involve patients with long term conditions in their health with the use of self management tools, Harrogate and District Foundation Trust respiratory team created an individualized health management plan for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

While consulting with COPD patients, researchers found that many who had been diagnosed with COPD more than five years prior still knew little about their condition and strategies to manage it. By identifying the knowledge gaps of those patients and their providers, the Trust determined the best approach to keep both in the know.

The result is the health management plan, a record that contains information about the patient’s individual respiratory and medical history. It also contains information regarding the aims of COPD care; how the condition affects the lungs; the benefits or keeping physically active; respiratory medicines and individual medication plans; use of oxygen and nebulised therapies; symptoms of exacerbation; and goal setting.

Patients are encouraged to bring the record with them to all consultations with healthcare practitioners so they receive well-informed and consistent care. It is already being widely used throughout the local primary care trust, and physicians and nurses are receiving training on how to use the record.

This was the first nurse led initiative in the local acute trust which determined gaps in patient knowledge and information needs before developing a new service. Click Here to Access the Full Story on NursingTimes.net.