Community care assessment of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a clinical algorithm to assess chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation severity in a community setting. Background: An important aspect of community management of exacerbations is assessing patient safety. Although researchers have investigated risk factors for rapid deterioration, there is a lack of evidence validating clinical measures of exacerbation severity. Methods: This was a prospective, community-based cohort study of patients enrolled in the Melbourne Longitudinal Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Cohort. The outreach team collected data on symptom severity at baseline and exacerbation onset using the Medical Research Council..