title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and community-based pharmacological care.
abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease carries a high morbidity and mortality and is one of the few chronic diseases where the number of people affected is rising, a trend that looks set to continue. Unfortunately patients often present at a late stage of the disease when therapeutic options are more limited and many patients are undertreated, overtreated or misdiagnosed. While patients present both in primary and secondary care it is primary care where the majority of patients are managed and where patients are likely to be seen at an earlier stage of the disease process when interventions are likely to be more effective. Therapeutic options for patients with COPD include pharmacological approaches and these should be prescribed on an individual basis and both subjective and objective criteria used in evaluating effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital, Leicester. jane.scullion@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Scullion
mesh_terms: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000451:nursing; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016540:Smoking Cessation
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists