title: [Clinical audit of patients admitted to hospital in Spain due to exacerbation of COPD (AUDIPOC study): method and organisation].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is little information regarding the clinical management of hospital inpatients diagnosed with exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). AUDIPOC is a clinical audit dealing with the clinical management of COPD in Spain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the adequacy and validity of the instruments used to measure the variables proposed by AUDIPOC Spain (Preliminary Study) and to verify the viability of AUDIPOC in a complex environment with hospitals of different sizes, resources, and organizational layout (Pilot Study).
  
  
  METHODS
  The Preliminary Study took place in 4 hospitals and studied 213 cases. The Pilot Study took place in 30 hospitals of 6 Autonomous Communities (i.e. Regions) and studied 1203 cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of both studies contributed to the improvement of the design, methods and organization of the AUDIPOC work. Some of the improvements include better training of those responsible at a hospital level, a new classification of hospitals, the incorporation of new variables and the creation of a Bureau for the Coordination and Management of the Project.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The AUDIPOC study is viable. It aims to recruit 10000 patients across 142 hospitals from all the Regions of Spain.
authors.affiliation: Neumología, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, España; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), España. fpozo@h12o.es
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pozo-Rodríguez
authors.forename: Carlos José
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Ady
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castro-Acosta
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Melero Moreno
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capelastegui
authors.forename: Cristobal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Esteban
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hernández Carcereny
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: López-Campos
authors.forename: José Luís
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Izquierdo Alonso
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López Quílez
authors.forename: Alvar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agustí
mesh_terms: D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods*; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D012107:Research Design; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology