Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Canada. The Anthonisen criteria utilizes the cardinal symptoms of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD), increased shortness of breath, increased sputum production, and increased sputum purulence, to determine which patients should receive antibiotics. In July 2015, a COPD Order Set Pilot was implemented in Saskatoon emergency departments (ED). The order set utilizes the Anthonisen criteria to optimize AECOPD patient management and ensure appropriate antibiotic usage. By January 2019, we aim to optimize AECOPD patient management in Saskatoon ED. We aim to increase physician uptake of the order set to 50% and to increase appropriate antibiotic prescription to 90%. Methods: Our project was designed following the Plan-Do-Study-Act method. Our primary outcome was to measure the rate of appropriate antibiotic prescription when managing AECOPD patients. Our secondary outcome was to measure physician uptake of the order set. We believed that a standardized order set would optimize patient care. We hypothesized that 80% of AECOPD patients would be managed with antibiotics appropriately and that 25% of emergency physicians would utilize the order set. A chart review was conducted examining AECOPD patient management in Saskatoon ED. The study period included the 6 months following the implementation of the order set. Our inclusion criteria were patients diagnosed with AECOPD and managed in the ED. Our exclusion criteria were patients currently prescribed antibiotics or patients requiring inpatient admission. A convenience sample of 125 charts was selected for review, enabling an accurate representation of order set utilization and antibiotic usage. A secondary reviewer abstracted a random 15% sample of the charts to ensure validity of the data. Results: Our results showed that, during our study period, none of the AECOPD patients were managed with the order set. Of the patients receiving antibiotic therapy, only 32 of the 53 (60.38%) met the Anthonisen criteria and were appropriately prescribed antibiotics. Of the patients not given antibiotics, 15 of the 42 (35.71%) met the Anthonisen criteria and should have been managed with antibiotics. These results refuted both of our hypotheses. Conclusion: As COPD is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Canada, proper management is crucial. Our results state that uptake of the order set is low and that antibiotic utilization is not optimized. These results demonstrate the need to modify and promote the current order set. We believe that by encouraging the use of the order set and streamlining the management guidelines, we can increase physician uptake. This will subsequently increase appropriate antibiotic prescription and improve AECOPD patient care. A second identical chart review for 2017 has been completed. Data analysis will be finalized prior to the conference.
Identifying individuals with physician-diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care electronic medical records: a retrospective chart abstraction study