Development of an integral assessment approach of health status in patients with obstructive airway diseases: the CORONA study

Abstract

Background

Traditional assessment of patients with obstructive lung diseases (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COPD) relies on physiological tests. The COPD and Asthma Rotterdam Integrated Care Approach (CORONA) study aims to develop a diagnostic pathway with a more comprehensive approach to the assessment of patients with asthma and COPD in secondary care.

Methods

An eight-step method was used to develop and implement the pathway for patients with asthma or COPD referred to an outpatient hospital setting.

Results

The diagnostic pathway consists of an evidence-based set of measurements prioritized by a Delphi procedure. The pathway incorporates three innovative diagnostics: the metronome-paced hyperventilation test to measure dynamic hyperinflation, an activity monitor to objectively evaluate physical activity in daily life, and the Nijmegen Clinical Screening Instrument as a comprehensive assessment tool to acquire detailed insight into symptoms, functional limitations, and quality of life.

Conclusion

An innovative diagnostic pathway was developed and implemented for patients with obstructive lung diseases referred to secondary care. As this pathway aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of health status, it focuses on biomedical aspects and also reviews behavioral aspects that further elucidate the patient’s health status. The added value of the diagnostic pathway needs to be determined from both an organizational perspective and from the individual patient’s viewpoint.

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis

Journal ID (publisher-id): International Journal of COPD

Title: International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Publisher: Dove Medical Press

ISSN (Print): 1176-9106

ISSN (Electronic): 1178-2005

Publication date Collection: 2015

Publication date (Electronic): 06 November 2015

Volume: 10

Pages: 2413-2422

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Pulmonary Diseases, STZ Center of Excellence for Asthma & COPD, Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

[2 ]Department of Pulmonary Disease, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

[3 ]Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands

[4 ]Department of Health Care Policy and Management, Institute of Medical Technology Assessment, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Author notes

Correspondence: Edmée FMM van den Akker, Department of Pulmonology, STZ Center of Excellence for Asthma & COPD, Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, PO Box 10900, 3004 BA Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Tel [phone], Email e.vandenakker@ 123456sfg.nl

Article

Publisher ID: copd-10-2413

DOI: 10.2147/COPD.S90680

PMC ID: 4644182

Copyright statement: © 2015 van den Akker et al. This work is published by Dove Medical Press Limited, and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License

License:

The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed.

Categories

Subject: Methodology