Doctors? checklist could help decrease length of COPD patients? hospital stay

Patients with worsening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease spend less time in hospital when their doctors manage their care by using a checklist of steps called order sets.

Order sets help doctors and other clinicians choose the most appropriate care for a patient and can help improve care across several diseases. A new study is the first to examine the impact of order sets on patients with worsening COPD.

COPD, a lung disease that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is the fourth leading cause of death globally and is the leading cause of hospitalisation in Canada.