Outgoing Lung Team - a Cross-sectorial Intervention in Patients With COPD

Summary

This study examines the effects of the work of an outgoing lung team in the Municipality of Aarhus, Denmark to patients with COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) at risk of exacerbation of COPD.

The outgoing lung team is a cross-sectorial team of nurses and doctors from Department of Respiratory Diseases and Allergy at Aarhus University Hospital and nurses from the Acute Team in the Municipality of Aarhus.

The work of the outgoing lung team takes place in the patient's home and involves the following:

* The outgoing lung team teaches the patients, relatives and primary care staff about symptoms, treatments and instructions related to COPD.
* The patients, relatives and primary care staff can contact the outgoing lung team by telephone day and night.
* The outgoing lung team initiates appropriate treatment by telephone or a home visit in consultation with a doctor.
* The patients report symptoms and measurements to the outgoing lung team using telemedicine solutions (AmbuFlex).
* The outgoing lung team initiates acute consultations at Department of Respiratory Diseases and Allergy based on patient reported outcomes, home visit or telephone call.

Half of the participants are affiliated to the outgoing lung team, while the other half are not, and continue their usual practice by contacting the general practitioners in case of exacerbation of COPD.

The main hypothesis of the project is that outgoing lung team has a positive impact on continuity of care across sectors in the Danish healthcare system for patients with COPD. More specifically the hypotheses are:

1. Affiliation to the outgoing lung team reduces admissions, readmissions, length of hospital stay and outpatient consultations.
2. Affiliation to the outgoing lung team reduces anxiety and depression and increases patient involvement, and improves patients' health status and self-efficacy.
3. Affiliation to the outgoing lung team increases patients' level of health literacy.

Conditions

• COPD
• COPD Exacerbation

Interventions

OTHER

Affiliation with the outgoing lung team

The work of the outgoing lung team takes place in the patient's home and involves the following: * The outgoing lung team teaches the patients, relatives and primary care staff about symptoms, treatments and instructions related to COPD. * The patients, relatives and primary care staff can contact the outgoing lung team by telephone day and night. * The patients report symptoms and measurements to the outgoing lung team using telemedicine as patient reported outcomes. * The outgoing lung team initiates appropriate treatment by telephone or a home visit. The outgoing lung team always consults a doctor from the Department of Respiratory Diseases and Allergy before initiating treatment. * The outgoing lung team initiates acute consultations at Department of Respiratory Diseases and Allergy based on patient reported outcomes, home visit or telephone call.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Aarhus

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Birgit R Iversen, Ph.d.-stud. · Department of Respiratory Diseases and Allergy, Aarhus University Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

100 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-09-25

Primary Completion

2020-03-31

Completion

2020-11-30

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations