Reviewing patients with COPD.

The article discusses the practicalities of reviews for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A review is necessary to allow the patient to ask questions and raise concerns and to enable the nurse to identify health issues that the patient may feel are not important enough. A practice protocol is the ideal tool for guiding a review. This should be developed with the designated nurse and a doctor. Factors such as cough, shortness of breath, smoking status and body mass index are also explained.