Time to take a breath. National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Audit Programme: National primary care audit (Wales) 2014-15
On Tuesday 18 October 2016 the above national report and the corresponding executive summary were published. Electronic copies of these documents are available on the National COPD Audit Programme’s website at https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/primary-care-time-take-breath.
The report, which details findings from Welsh general practice, is the first primary care report published as part of the National COPD Audit Programme. The audit programme is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit (NCA) programme.
The report focuses on the clinical care provided to people with COPD in general practices, from their diagnosis to their treatment and onward referral. We are currently planning a further audit cycle in Wales for 2016-17 which will give us an opportunity to develop the quality of the recorded data and to track improvements in the following key areas:
- Earlier and more accurate diagnosis –Spirometry is fundamental to a diagnosis of COPD, and patients should be assured that their test has been performed and interpreted in the right way. The Respiratory Health Implementation Group’s (RHIG) plan to increase training programmes in diagnostic spirometry will provide gains in this area in the coming months.
- The available data suggest that not everyone with a confirmed COPD diagnosis is receiving the highest value interventions. There are opportunities here for practices and the wider health system to improve the quality and efficacy of treatments received by patients in a cost-effective way.
- People with more serious disease should be identified and offered intensive treatment with optimal therapies.
- The report recommends that there be a review of coding at practice or cluster level, which would provide a clearer picture of issues in COPD diagnosis and care. Consistent electronic coding of health record will help to ensure that future service development is focused where need and impact will be greatest.
All Welsh practices were given access to individual practice-level reports via the NHS Digital (formerly the HSCIC) website in March 2016. If you did not receive your login, or are unsure how to access the report for your practice, please visit our website for more information. In addition, we will be producing tailored Health Board reports later this autumn, which will be made available on our website.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the practices that participated in this audit.
For more information about the National COPD Audit Programme, please visit www.rcplondon.ac.uk/COPD or contact the team on COPD@rcplondon.ac.uk
and the corresponding executive summary were published. Electronic copies of these documents are available on the National COPD Audit Programme’s website at https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/primary-care-time-take-breath.
The report, which details findings from Welsh general practice, is the first primary care report published as part of the National COPD Audit Programme. The audit programme is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit (NCA) programme.
The report focuses on the clinical care provided to people with COPD in general practices, from their diagnosis to their treatment and onward referral. We are currently planning a further audit cycle in Wales for 2016-17 which will give us an opportunity to develop the quality of the recorded data and to track improvements in the following key areas:
- Earlier and more accurate diagnosis –Spirometry is fundamental to a diagnosis of COPD, and patients should be assured that their test has been performed and interpreted in the right way. The Respiratory Health Implementation Group’s (RHIG) plan to increase training programmes in diagnostic spirometry will provide gains in this area in the coming months.
- The available data suggest that not everyone with a confirmed COPD diagnosis is receiving the highest value interventions. There are opportunities here for practices and the wider health system to improve the quality and efficacy of treatments received by patients in a cost-effective way.
- People with more serious disease should be identified and offered intensive treatment with optimal therapies.
- The report recommends that there be a review of coding at practice or cluster level, which would provide a clearer picture of issues in COPD diagnosis and care. Consistent electronic coding of health record will help to ensure that future service development is focused where need and impact will be greatest.
All Welsh practices were given access to individual practice-level reports via the NHS Digital (formerly the HSCIC) website in March 2016. If you did not receive your login, or are unsure how to access the report for your practice, please visit our website for more information. In addition, we will be producing tailored Health Board reports later this autumn, which will be made available on our website.
For more information about the National COPD Audit Programme, please visit www.rcplondon.ac.uk/COPD or contact the team on COPD@rcplondon.ac.uk
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