Date for review: 12th October 2025
Date for review: 26th September 2025
The one-minute sit to stand test (1-MSTST) has become the test of choice during the pandemic for measuring exercise capacity, both at in-person and virtual appointments due to the inability to conduct robust six minute or incremental / endurance shuttle walk tests (6MWT/ ISWT/ ESWT). It can easily be conducted in the patient’s home or a small clinic room, requires little equipment, is quick to undertake and yields useful information about the patient’s physiological response to exercise.
In this article we review the major changes in the 2023 GOLD report as they impact on the initial and ongoing pharmacological management of COPD and consider the implications for primary care in the UK. Dr Fiona Mosgrove is a GP in Aberdeen and Clinical Lead for the Grampian Respiratory Improvement Programme. Dr Tracey Lonergan is the Policy Coordinator for the Primary Care Respiratory Society and Medical Writer with a special interest in respiratory disease.
The high rate of empirical antibiotic use for the treatment of suspected respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and COPD exacerbations remains a cause for concern in the face of increasing antibiotic resistance.
PCRS have issued a position statement on strategies to care for patients with respiratory disease and frailty in the community setting. Frailty is thought to affect around 10% of those aged over 65 years and up to half of those aged over 85 years. The health and social care needs of these vulnerable patients can be complex and require a holistic approach that should involve confirmation of current diagnoses and review of all medications giving consideration to the goals of treatment, likely benefits and likely side effects.