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Costs and Effects of Three Modes for Disease Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in General Practice

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Lung Diseases, Obstructive
Interventions
Behavioral: care at initiative of the patient (usual GP care)
Behavioral: regular practice nurse review (monitoring controls)
Behavioral: an integrated self-management education program
Registration Number
NCT00128765
Lead Sponsor
Radboud University Medical Center
Brief Summary

In this randomized controlled trial, three contemporary modes for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management in Dutch general practices are compared for costs and effects:

* usual general practitioner (GP) care (at patient's initiative);

* regular practice nurse review; and

* integrated self-management education.

All three interventions are based on existing guidelines, materials, and field experiences.

Detailed Description

Considering the ageing of the Dutch population and the current and increasing shortage of general practitioners (GPs), the capacity of primary healthcare is a major and growing concern. Delegation of care normally provided by GPs with care provided by trained practice nurses is now rapidly emerging for patients with chronic respiratory disease, i.e. asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, most general practices still provide care at initiative of the patient self, because of the lack in scientific evidence and the costs of implementing a regular care structure. Self-care by patients may be an alternative to alleviate the growing load on primary health care.

The following two main research questions are addressed in this study.

* Does an integrated self-management education intervention for patients with COPD in general practice contribute to attaining long-term treatment targets, compared to regular monitoring by a practice nurse and usual GP care?

* What is the cost-effectiveness of an integrated self-management education intervention for patients with COPD, compared to regular monitoring by a practice nurse and usual GP care?

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
165
Inclusion Criteria
  • Registered in one of the general practices participating in the study
  • Diagnosis of COPD, with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases (GOLD) stage I, II or III
  • Age ≥35 years
  • Willing to provide written informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
  • Very poor prognosis with regard to respiratory condition (GOLD stage IV)
  • Severe co-morbid conditions with a reduced life expectancy
  • Unable to communicate in the Dutch language
  • Objections to one or more of the disease management modes in the study

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
usual carecare at initiative of the patient (usual GP care)usual care, i.e. COPD care at patient's own initiative, mostly for medical help during exacerbations
monitoring controlsregular practice nurse review (monitoring controls)regular COPD care (monitoring) provided by practice nurse according to current COPD guidelines
self-managementan integrated self-management education programdisease specific self-management program 'Living Well with COPD'
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL)two years
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
the number of exacerbationstwo years
generic quality of lifetwo years
decline post- and pre-bronchodilator (BD) lung function indicestwo years
level of respiratory symptomstwo years
satisfaction with the health care receivedtwo years
compliance with (non-) pharmaceutical treatmenttwo years
direct and indirect medical coststwo years
COPD related self-efficacytwo years
COPD coping stylestwo years

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Radboud University, Department of General Medicine

🇳🇱

Nijmegen, Netherlands

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