Other non-drug treatment

• education and self management
  • main aim is to make patients active partners in their ongoing care and to arm them with knowledge, confidence and skills required to self-manage their disease effectively (1,2)
  • topics which are covered in this section include: basic information about COPD, strategies to help minimize dyspnoea, advice about when to seek help, decision-making during exacerbation etc.
• pulmonary rehabilitation
  • should be made available to all appropriate patients with COPD (patients who consider themselves functionally disabled by COPD - usually MRC grade 3 and above) including those who have had a recent hospitalisation for an acute exacerbation
  • is not suitable for patients who are unable to walk, have unstable angina or who have had a recent myocardial infarction
  • it has shown to
    • dyspnoea, health status and exercise tolerance in stable patients
    • reduce hospitalisations among patients who have had a recent exacerbation (≤ 4 weeks from prior hospitalisation) (1,2)
• interventional therapy
  • surgical
  • lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS)
  • bullectomy
  • lung transplantation have all been used to treat patients with COPD
  • bronchoscopic interventions (1,2)

Reference:

1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in over 16s: diagnosis and management. Jul 2019 [internet publication].
2. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 2025 report. 2025 [internet publication].