COPD Right Care

In 2021 the IPCRG initiated the COPD Right Care programme that follows the principles of the successful Asthma Right Care movement. We are building a global social movement to improve care for people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). We want to show who people with COPD are, what optimal and safe treatment looks like and why personalisation through shared decision-making is something we must champion.

Clinically effective and cost-effective COPD care consists of a correct, well communicated diagnosis that takes account of multimorbidity, and therapy that includes multiple interventions from the point of diagnosis to address personal need. However, we know that this is not always delivered and where measured in both primary and secondary care, there is stubbornly persistent and unwarranted variation in care. That is, variation in care that is not due to disease variation but provider variation between individuals,  offices/clinics, regions and nations.  The point of Right Care is to provide the practical advice and support to make it easiest to do the right thing, in your setting.

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Sources of inspiration

COPD Right Care - an introduction

COPD Value pyramid: Initial inspiration from London Respiratory Team (may need updating)

COPD Wheel and Question & Challenge Cards

In 2021 we started to develop two prototype tools to help start new conversations about personalising care for people with COPD. We have worked with two-three multidisciplinary clinicians from each pilot country – Brazil (GEPRAPS), Portugal (GRESP), Spain (GRAP), USA (COPD Foundation), a patient expert from the US COPD Foundation and a community pharmacist from the UK.

The COPD Wheel was launched at our 11th World Conference in Málaga in 2022 and, following testing in our four pilot countries with colleagues and patients, was revised and finalised for launch at our 2023 Scientific Meeting in Munich, Germany. It was updated in 2024 in line with the latest guidelines. Translations in to Greek, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish are now available.

IPCRG produced the Question & Challenge Cards to address several gaps we identified in the understanding of and care for people with COPD. These cards can be used to start conversations between clinical peers, with people with lived experience and with students about COPD, offering information and asking provocative questions to create more awareness of shortcomings in knowledge and understanding about COPD.

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Additional resources