OVERVIEW

Improving Patient Outcomes for COPD is organized by National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

Course opens: 11/23/2020
Course expires: 0/15/2023

Description:
COPD is a long-term lung disease that impairs an individual’s ability to breathe. Disease progression worsens over time and negatively affects an individual’s ability to perform simple activities of daily living such as walking, climbing stairs, sleeping, and other activities. Beyond this, the disease may also increase emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to COPD exacerbations. It is estimated that COPD affects around 20 million (12%) adults in the United States, but there could be millions more who have the disease without realizing it, due to gaps in diagnosis.

Although there is no cure for COPD, it is often preventable and can be effectively managed through treatment. Because most patients are diagnosed by their primary care clinician, those providers must be prepared to address the highly variable clinical features and responses to therapy. Additionally, the diagnosis and treatment of COPD are rapidly changing, so understanding recent advances are important for the delivery of optimal patient care.

This course will provide healthcare professionals with the education needed to properly identify and diagnose COPD, establish a treatment plan, monitor disease progression, and utilize telemedicine to improve patient outcomes and reduce the disease burden of COPD.

Learning Objectives:
After successful completion of this activity, learners will be able to:
• Recognize the health and economic impact of COPD on a national and global level.
• Discuss options for accurate and early diagnosis of COPD.
• Distinguish between treatment options to create individualized treatment plans that meet patient needs and determine when a specialist referral is indicated.
• Prescribe both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment for patients with COPD.
• Understand the patient's experience of living with and managing COPD.
• Utilize telemedicine effectively as a tool to provide care for COPD.