Summary

Assessment of adherence to practice guidelines for managing exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the emergency department

Carrillo Rivas M, García-Castrillo Riesgo L, Agüero Balbín R, Arnaiz García AM, Saro Gutierrez G, Andrés Gómez M

Affiliation of the authors

Servicio de Urgencias, Servicio de Neumología, Servicio de Medicina Interna-Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain.

DOI

Quote

Carrillo Rivas M, García-Castrillo Riesgo L, Agüero Balbín R, Arnaiz García AM, Saro Gutierrez G, Andrés Gómez M. Assessment of adherence to practice guidelines for managing exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the emergency department. Emergencias. 2012;24:296-9

Summary

This study aimed to describe clinical practice in terms of the degree of adherence to

practice guidelines for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a

hospital emergency department. We reviewed the records of 352 patients with COPD

treated over a period of 1 year. Blood pressure was recorded in 92% of the cases, heart

rate in 74.7%, respiratory frequency in 71.9%, arterial blood oxygen saturation in

88.4%, the presence of breathlessness at rest in 25.3%, and accessory muscle

recruitment in 13.4%. In cases for which it was possible to assess antibiotic therapy,

these drugs were administered without adherence to guideline indications in 78.2%,

and only 117 of the 215 patients (54%) with serious exacerbation received systemic

corticosteroids. We conclude that the records reveal low adherence to recommendations

for recording the signs required to apply practice guidelines for the management of

COPD. It is therefore necessary to find tools that improve adherence to the

recommended clinical pathways.

 

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