Tjard Schermer

Self-management of asthma in general practice, asthma control and quality of life: a randomised controlled trial

Background: A study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of asthma self-management in general practice. Methods: Nineteen general practices were randomly allocated to usual care (UC) or self-management (SM). Asthma patients were included after confirmation of the GP diagnosis. Follow up was 2 years. Patients kept diary cards and visited the lung function laboratory every 6 months. Outcomes were number of successfully treated weeks, limited activity days, asthma specific quality of life, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1 reversibility, concentration of histamine provoking a fall in FEV1 of 20% or more (PC20 histamine), and amount of inhaled steroids. Results: A total of 214 patients were included in the study (104 UC/110 SM; one third of the total asthma population in general practice); 62% were female. The mean percentage of successfully treated weeks per patient in the UC group was 72% (74/103 weeks) compared with 78% (81/105 weeks) in the SM group (p=0.003). The mean number of limited activity days was 1.2 (95% CI 0.5 to 1.9) in the SM group and 3.9 (95% CI 2.5 to 5.4) in the UC group. The estimated increase in asthma quality of life score was 0.10 points per visit in the UC group and 0.21 points per visit in the SM group (p=0.055). FEV1, FEV1 reversibility, and PC20 histamine did not change. There was a saving of 217 puffs of inhaled steroid per patient in favour of the SM group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Self-management lowers the burden of illness as perceived by patients with asthma and is at least as effective as the treatment usually provided in Dutch primary care. Self-management is a safe basis for intermittent treatment with inhaled corticosteroids.

Comprehensive self management and routine monitoring in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in general practice: randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess the long term effects of two different modes of disease management (comprehensive self management and routine monitoring) on quality of life (primary objective), frequency and patients’ management of exacerbations, and self efficacy (secondary objectives) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in general practice. Design 24 month, multicentre, investigator blinded, three arm, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial. Setting 15 general practices in the eastern part of the Netherlands. Participants Patients with COPD confirmed by spirometry and treated in general practice. Patients with very severe COPD or treated by a respiratory physician were excluded. Interventions A comprehensive self management programme as an adjunct to usual care, consisting of four tailored sessions with ongoing telephone support by a practice nurse; routine monitoring as an adjunct to usual care, consisting of 2-4 structured consultations a year with a practice nurse; or usual care alone (contacts with the general practitioner at the patients’ own initiative). Outcome measures The primary outcome was the change in COPD specific quality of life at 24 months as measured with the chronic respiratory questionnaire total score. Secondary outcomes were chronic respiratory questionnaire domain scores, frequency and patients’ management of exacerbations measured with the Nijmegen telephonic exacerbation assessment system, and self efficacy measured with the COPD self-efficacy scale. Results 165 patients were allocated to self management (n=55), routine monitoring (n=55), or usual care alone (n=55). At 24 months, adjusted treatment differences between the three groups in mean chronic respiratory questionnaire total score were not significant. Secondary outcomes did not differ, except for exacerbation management. Compared with usual care, more exacerbations in the self management group were managed with bronchodilators (odds ratio 2.81, 95% confidence interval 1.16 to 6.82) and with prednisolone, antibiotics, or both (3.98, 1.10 to 15.58). Conclusions Comprehensive self management or routine monitoring did not show long term benefits in terms of quality of life or self efficacy over usual care alone in COPD patients in general practice. Patients in the self management group seemed to be more capable of appropriately managing exacerbations than did those in the usual care group. Trial registration Clinical trials NCT00128765.

Effects of house dust mite avoidance measures on Der p 1 concentrations and clinical condition of mild adult house dust mite-allergic asthmatic patients, using no inhaled steroids

Exposure to house dust mite (HDM) allergens often results in worsening of asthma. Therefore, avoidance of exposure to HDM allergens is often proposed. Unfortunately, the most effective and feasible avoidance strategy is still not completely assessed. Consequently, we investigated the effects of a combined HDM avoidance strategy on HDM allergen concentrations and clinical condition of allergic, mild asthmatic, patients using no inhaled steroids.

Diagnostic accuracy of spirometry in primary care

BackgroundTo evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of spirometry for the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in patients suspected of suffering from an obstructive airway disease (OAD) in primary care.MethodsCross sectional diagnostic study of 219 adult patients attending 10 general practices for the first time with complaints suspicious for OAD. All patients underwent spirometry and structured medical histories were documented. All patients received whole-body plethysmography (WBP) in a lung function laboratory. The reference standard was the Tiffeneau ratio (FEV1/VC) received by the spirometric maneuver during examination with WBP. In the event of inconclusive results, bronchial provocation was performed to determine bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR). Asthma was defined as a PC20 fall after inhaling methacholine concentration ≤ 16 mg/ml.Results90 (41.1%) patients suffered from asthma, 50 (22.8%) suffered from COPD, 79 (36.1%) had no OAD. The sensitivity for diagnosing airway obstruction in COPD was 92% (95%CI 80–97); specificity was 84% (95%CI 77–89). The positive predictive value (PPV) was 63% (95%CI 51–73); negative predictive value (NPV) was 97% (95%CI 93–99). The sensitivity for diagnosing airway obstruction in asthma was 29% (95%CI 21–39); specificity was 90% (95%CI 81–95). PPV was 77% (95%CI 60–88); NPV was 53% (95%CI 45–61).ConclusionCOPD can be estimated with high diagnostic accuracy using spirometry. It is also possible to rule in asthma with spirometry. However, asthma can not be ruled out only using spirometry. This diagnostic uncertainty leads to an overestimation of asthma presence. Patients with inconclusive spirometric results should be referred for nitric oxide (NO) – measurement and/or bronchial provocation if possible to guarantee accurate diagnosis.

An autonomous mobile system for the management of COPD

INTRODUCTION Managing chronic disease through automated systems has the potential to both benefit the patient and reduce health-care costs. We have developed and evaluated a disease management system for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Its aim is to predict and detect exacerbations and, through this, help patients self-manage their disease to prevent hospitalisation. MATERIALS The carefully crafted intelligent system consists of a mobile device that is able to collect case-specific, subjective and objective, physiological data, and to alert the patient by a patient-specific interpretation of the data by means of probabilistic reasoning. Collected data are also sent to a central server for inspection by health-care professionals. METHODS We evaluated the probabilistic model using cross-validation and ROC analyses on data from an earlier study and by an independent data set. Furthermore a pilot with actual COPD patients has been conducted to test technical feasibility and to obtain user feedback. RESULTS Model evaluation results show that we can reliably detect exacerbations. Pilot study results suggest that an intervention based on this system could be successful.

The risk for depression comorbidity in patients with COPD.

INTRODUCTION Patients with COPD are believed to have a high risk for the development of depression. However, it remains unclear whether or not there is a temporal relation between COPD and depression, and if the higher risk for depression is a result of having a chronic disease, or is specific for COPD. The aim of this study is to compare the risk for physician-diagnosed depression in patients with COPD, patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), and control subjects without chronic conditions. METHODS The study was a prospective cohort study based on the Continuous Morbidity Registration database. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to identify the risk of a first episode of depression in patients with COPD compared to patients with DM and matched control subjects without chronic conditions. The following covariates were added to the model: age, the general practice the patient was listed with, socioeconomic status, comorbidity, and gender. All patients with a diagnosis of depression preceding the date of first diagnosis of COPD or DM (dummy date in control subjects) were excluded. RESULTS The hazard ratios for a first episode of depression in the COPD group compared to the DM group and healthy controls subjects were 1.80 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16 to 2.81) and 1.68 (95% CI, 1.20 to 2.35), respectively. DISCUSSION We found a temporal relation between COPD and physician-diagnosed depression. Patients with COPD are more likely to have depression diagnosed than patients with DM and control subjects without chronic conditions.

Asthma education tailored to individual patient needs can optimise partnerships in asthma self-management.

This paper studies the effects of patient education, tailored to individual needs of patients as part of an asthma self-management program. A tailored education program was designed which took into account individual information needs of patients by using a feedback instrument. Totally 98 steroid dependent asthmatics entered the tailored education program, 95 patients received usual care. Outcome measures were information exchanged and patient satisfaction. Study duration was 6 months. Patients in the tailored education group showed a significant reduction in information need (P=0.005). Patient satisfaction increased from 87.9 to 93.7 in this group while this did not change in the usual care group (P=0.000). Use of this tailored education program improved the GP-patient interaction within the context of a clinically effective asthma self-management program. Findings from this study may be applicable to other chronic conditions as well.

Fluticasone and N-acetylcysteine in primary care patients with COPD or chronic bronchitis

BACKGROUND Increased oxidative stress and bronchial inflammation are important mechanisms in the pathophysiology of COPD. AIM To investigate whether treatment with the inhaled corticosteroid fluticasone propionate (FP) or the anti-oxidative agent N-acetylcysteine (NAC) are effective in primary care patients. METHODS The study was a 3-year placebo-controlled randomised controlled trial preceded by a 3-month washout and 2-week prednisolone pre-treatment. Patients were (ex-)smokers with chronic bronchitis or COPD. Interventions were inhaled FP 500microg b.i.d., oral NAC 600mg o.d., or placebo. Exacerbation rate and quality of life measured with the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) were the primary outcomes, FEV(1) decline and respiratory symptoms secondary outcomes. RESULTS 286 patients recruited from 44 general practices were randomised. Exacerbation rate was 1.35 times higher for NAC (p=0.054) and 1.30 times higher for FP (p=0.095) compared with placebo. CRQ total scores did not differ between NAC (p=0.306) or FP (p=0.581) treatment compared to placebo. Annual postbronchodilator FEV(1) decline was 64mL [SD 5.4] for NAC [p=0.569 versus placebo], 59mL [SD 5.7] for FP [p=0.935], and 60mL [SD 5.4] for placebo. CONCLUSION No beneficial treatment effects for either high-dosed inhaled fluticasone propionate or oral N-acetylcysteine were observed in our study population of patients with COPD or chronic bronchitis.

Diagnosing asthma in general practice with portable exhaled nitric oxide measurement – results of a prospective diagnostic study

BackgroundTo evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) for the diagnosis of asthma in general practice.MethodsProspective diagnostic study with 160 patients attending 10 general practices for the first time with complaints suspicious of obstructive airway disease (OAD). Patients were referred to a lung function laboratory for diagnostic investigation. The index test was FENO measured with a portable FENO analyser based on electrochemical sensor. The reference standard was the Tiffeneau ratio (FEV1/VC) as received by spirometric manoeuvre and/or results of bronchial provocation. Bronchial provocation with methacholine was performed to determine bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) in the event of inconclusive spirometric results.Results88 (55%) were female; their average age was 43.9 years. 75 (46.9%) patients had asthma, 25 (15.6%) had COPD, 8 (5.0%) had an overlap of COPD and asthma, and 52 (32.5%) had no OAD. At a cut-off level of 46 parts per billion (ppb) (n = 30; 18.8%), sensitivity was 32% (95%CI 23–43%), specificity 93% (95%CI 85–97%), positive predictive value (PPV) 80% (95%CI 63–91%), negative predictive value (NPV) 61% (95%CI 52–69%) when compared with a 20% fall in FEV1 from the baseline value (PC20) after inhaling methacholine concentration ≤ 16 mg/ml. At 76 ppb (n = 11; 6.9%) specificity was 100% (95%CI 96–100%) and PPV was 100% (95%CI 72–100). At a cut-off level of 12 ppb (n = 34; 21.3%), sensitivity was 90% (95%CI 79–95%), specificity 25% (95%CI 17–34%), PPV 40% (95%CI 32–50), NPV 81% (95%CI 64–91%) when compared with a 20% fall of FEV1 after inhaling methacholine concentration ≤ 4 mg/ml. Three patients with unsuspicious spirometric results have to be tested with FENO to save one bronchial provocation test.ConclusionAsthma could be ruled in with FENO > 46 ppb. Mild and moderate to severe asthma could be ruled out with FENO ≤ 12 ppb. FENO measurement with an electrochemical sensor might be reasonable with respect to the time consuming procedure of bronchial provocation, which carries also some risk of severe bronchospasm. Further research is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of this dual diagnostic strategy. The number needed to diagnose might be improved when the diagnostic precision could be enhanced by future technical developments.

Economic evaluation of a comprehensive self-management programme in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Aims: The main objective of this study was to investigate whether a comprehensive self-management programme, including self-treatment guidelines for exacerbations and a fitness programme, is an efficient treatment option for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Method: We randomly allocated 248 COPD patients to either self-management (127) or usual care (121). Data on preference-based utilities (EuroQol-5D), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), health-care resource use and productivity losses associated with exacerbations were prospectively collected. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were calculated. The economic analysis took the societal perspective and the observation period was one year. Results: As we observed that the groups were equally effective in terms of QALYs and HRQoL (SGRQ), we described a cost minimization analysis only. The self-management programme-specific costs amounted to 6642 per patient. In the base-case cost analysis, the incremental cost difference amounted to 838 per patient per year in favour of usual care. When only direct medical costs were included, the incremental annual cost of self-managementrelative to usual care was 179 per person per year. If time costs for the fitness programme were set to zero, the costs for self-management diminished to 542. Sensitivity analysis showed that these results were robust to changes in the underlying assumptions. Conclusion: We conclude that the COPE self-management programme is not an efficient treatment option for moderate to severe COPD patients who rate their HRQoL relatively high. The programme was twice as expensive as usual care and had no measurable beneficial effects on QALYs or HRQoL.