Primary Care Respiratory Society UK (PCRS-UK)

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COPD Resources Primary Care Respiratory Society UK

Introduction
Prevalence
Diagnosis
Templates
Practice Register
Practice Team
Guidelines
Spirometry
Patient Information
Referral Pathways
End of Life Care
Return to PCRS-UK COPD Resources
How ready is your practice?
Supporting Information - Your Practice Team and Teamwork
  • Is there a lead GP and/ or Nurse for COPD in your practice?
It may be useful to identify a clinical lead for COPD to inspire ongoing COPD developments within your practice. This can be shared by several clinicians. Many practices opt for a Lead GP and Lead Nurse in Respiratory Care. It is useful to remember that key to their role is the dissemination of information and delegation of roles within the team.
  • What is the level of COPD knowledge within your team?
  • Is there a need to review the educational needs within your team?
Key to the development of any successful COPD strategy is to assess the skills and knowledge of the team. This process should be seen as non- threatening and part of an ongoing process of improving COPD care within your practice.

It is important that any clinician managing COPD patients is competent to manage the complexities of COPD and recognises when there is a need to refer on to specialist services.

There are many groups who provide educational events, programmes and courses. The Primary Care Respiratory Society UK has a list of educational providers who offer respiratory education in the UK. Click here for more information.
  • Does the team meet to discuss complex cases and review care for those COPD patients who have multiple needs?
  • When COPD patients are reviewed do they get directed to clinical staff with knowledge of COPD?
Each team member has different skills to offer patients with COPD and the key is to get the patient to the right person for their particular health needs. This may be, for example, the dietician, smoking cessation advisor, nurse or GP. The key is for everyone to have an awareness of the skills of each member of the team and refer appropriately.
  • Do the reception team (who make the appointments) know which clinical staff review COPD patients?
It is important that the reception team are aware of the team members who review COPD patients. It is more productive for patient and clinician to ensure the patient sees the more appropriate member of the team. As reception is the first point of contact it is vital they are aware of this information.
  • What links are there with secondary care and other respiratory interested groups?
It is well recognised that the key to well managed care is good, well established communication links between primary and secondary care. However, is not always easy and recognising the challenges is key to ongoing partnerships. One way to build good communication is through the use of self management plans which the patient can take into hospital to share information. The British Lung Foundation (BLF) has an excellent, comprehensive self management booklet but other abbreviated COPD self-management plans are available and are often produced at a local level.
See also the Primary Care Respiratory Society UK Opinion Sheet  Self Management of COPD in Primary Care (March 2007).
  • Is someone in the practice trained to perform diagnostic quality spirometry? If not, where is the practice spirometry performed?
Accurate confirmation of diagnosis of COPD (and Asthma) requires appropriately trained personnel in performing diagnostic quality spirometry. There are a number of training courses available in the UK. See the Primary Care Respiratory Society UK Spirometry Standards document for more information7.

Reference:
7. Levy ML, Quanjer PH, Booker R, Cooper BG, Holmes S, Small I. Diagnostic Spirometry in Primary Care: Proposed standards for general practice compliant with American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society recommendations. A Primary Care Respiratory Society UK (PCRS-UK)1 document, in association with the Association for Respiratory Technology & Physiology (ARTP)2 and Education for Health3 1 www.pcrs-uk.org 2 www.artp.org 3 www.educationforhealth.org.uk. Prim Care Resp J 2009;18(3):130-147  Available from: URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.4104/pcrj.2009.00054
This series of resources has been produced as a service to primary care by the Primary Care Respiratory Society UK (PCRS-UK) and has been supported by an educational grant from Allen & Hanburys, AstraZeneca UK Ltd and Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd/Pfizer Ltd. The views expressed in the materials are not necessarily those of either the sponsors or the Primary Care Respiratory Society UK (PCRS-UK). © PCRS-UK
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PCRS-UK: formerly the General Practice Airways Group (GPIAG)


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