Enjoying Breathing Program: A National Prospective Study Protocol to Improve Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Management in Chinese Primary Health Care

Abstract

Cunbo Jia,1,* Chunyu Zhang,1,* Fang Fang,1,* Ke Huang,2 Fen Dong,3 Xiaoying Gu,3 Hongtao Niu,2 Shan Li,4 Chen Wang,2,5 Ting Yang2 1Department of Health Reform and Development, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital; National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases; Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Data Platform, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Management, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 5Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this paperCorrespondence: Ting YangDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital; National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases; Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, People’s Republic of ChinaTel [phone]Email [email protected]: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is prevalent and poses a heavy burden worldwide. However, patients know little about COPD, and primary health care providers have poor therapy capability in China. Enjoying Breathing Program aims to establish a new comprehensive COPD patient management system, including early detection, standardized therapy, and follow-up in China. The goal of the study is to 1) describe the intervention for physicians and patients and 2) to assess the effectiveness of this program.Methods: It is the first nationwide trial involving all levels of health care institutions from primary health care institutions to tertiary hospitals. It includes a series of structured but individualized intervention for both health care providers and COPD patients. Primary health care providers from pilot hospitals will take both online and face-to-face courses, including the procedure of COPD patients’ management and prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Once the patients are diagnosed with COPD, they will undertake standard therapy and self-management education program, perform rehabilitation exercises, and be followed up by primary health care providers every 3 months. The primary outcome will be exacerbation-related hospital/emergency admission and the change of patients’ awareness and primary health care providers’ knowledge of COPD within 36 months. Secondary outcome will include the change of pulmonary function test, structured COPD patients’ management, two-way referral, and standardized therapy.Conclusion: A comprehensive COPD patient management model to promote the standardized therapy will be established; this will improve COPD patients’ awareness and health quality.Trial Registration Number: This study has been registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov (registration identifier: NCT04318912).Keywords: protocol, national prospective trial, COPD management

Keywords

• protocol
• national prospective trial
• copd management