The target population proposed in this CDM Pathway are COPD patients coming to the ER and/or admitted to the hospital. However, the process that is proposed here could likewise apply to other populations.

However, it is important to target a specific department/unit or departments/units (example: medical ward, emergency department, etc) and a specific population.

• You have to select a population for whom you feel an urgency to act. Your evaluation and what you do will be specific to that population of patients and the practice setting. At this point, since you have yet to do an evaluation of your practices, the selection of a population can be very intuitive or based on certain perceived problems, arising from a case review or other relevant knowledge sources (hospital admissions, emergency visits, etc).
• From the beginning, it's vital to get an agreement, a mutual understanding, with the various members on your team: the healthcare managers, caregivers, physicians, other healthcare stakeholders.

 

Priority:

Overall, what is the percentage of COPD admissions in your institution according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes? Frequency and length of stay can be obtained from the Quality Department. Various methods and
lists of ICD codes have been proposed for COPD record keeping.

Secondary:

Percentage of ER visits due to COPD (if this is available in your institution).

 

Do not assume that you know the impact of COPD on your institution before you have done a formal assessment.