Effects of an Active Implementation of a Guideline for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

BACKGROUND: Health systems will manage more and more people with chronic diseases as life-expectancy increases and treatment options improve. As the need for resources increases, it will be vital that a targeted strategy for health care to this growing group is developed so all are offered a professional and efficient treatment and that resources are used equitable. A proactive strategy will secure that not only acute needs of patients, but the need of the whole population is served. AIM: To describe the process of implementation and the effects of Central Denmark Region's chronic disease management programme for COPD-patients. METHOD: This is an intervention study, where approximately 3000 COPD-patients will be cluster-randomized after a bloc-randomization of their GP-practice. 15 GP-practices in Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality will be randomized to receive the focused implementation or to an "as usual" group. Approximately 4000 COPD patients from a neighboring municipality with a similar profile will be a control group without any active implementation in any GP-practice and any contamination between GP-practices will therefore be eliminated. THE INTERVENTION: A proactive implementation strategy for the chronic disease management programme will be designed based on the literature and methods which have proven effective in implementing new ways of working when different stakeholders and cultures are involved. Core intervention elements: GP-practice visits and education with focus on registration of smoking status and offering of smoking cessation, stratification of COPD patients according to health level or disease status, written referral from GP to community initiatives and written feedback to GP, discharge notice to GP from hospital, home visit by GP or practice nurse together with community nurse to plan care with newly discharged frail patients, With data from registers and a questionnaire-survey the effect on COPD-patients self reported health, evaluation of the health system and changes in the distribution of health resources will be analyzed. How the health professionals in hospital, community-care and in GP-practices perceive the implementation and how it influences their conception, interactions and culture will be illustrated in an interview-survey of stakeholders.