A project under our Innovations in systems and models of health and health care theme is looking at the effectiveness of interventions in general practice to manage one of the UK’s biggest long-term conditions – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The Innovations to improve pathway for people with COPD project is evaluating what works to better manage this respiratory condition. The team are measuring whether a variety of interventions will make GPs’ management of patients with the condition more effective and efficient in the long-term.
As part of our engagement with patients the project’s Senior Research Associate and Research Associate visited Havering Breathe Easy Group. The Breathe Easy network provides support and information for people living with a lung condition, and those looking after them.
As well as getting insight on living with COPD and variations in service patients’ can experience, researchers wanted to get a feel for what aspects of GP care were most important to patients’ health and quality of life.
We asked patients to identify what they thought were the most important interventions general practices provided to support COPD sufferers.
Our choices were based on a list of activities that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – the independent organisation which decides which drugs and treatments are available on the NHS in England and Wales – has recommended should be delivered as part of COPD care from general practice.
What GP service patients valued most |
What GP services patients valued least |
Annual reviews with their GP |
Smoking cessation advice |
Pulmonary rehab (exercise and education and to manage their condition) |
Spirometry Testing/Diagnosis (to diagnose a condition and monitor lung function) |
Rescue Packs (of emergency medicines) |
Medication/Inhalers |
Self-management of care |
Vaccination |
How this will help our research
- If we need to decide what weight we give to different outcomes, patients’ views of their relative importance could be one factor we consider.
- Whether the measures we are using in our research are the ones patients consider most important
- Patients’ views will provide useful pointers and questions for interviews with general practice staff that are part of our research
