Characteristics of general practices and baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of COPD patients assigned to intervention (structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme) or continued usual care
| Characteristics | Intervention group (n=178 participants) | Control group (n=172 participants) |
|---|---|---|
| No. of practices | 16 | 16 |
| Median (range) of participants per cluster | 11 (8–14) | 10 (9–14) |
| GP practice (cluster) | ||
| Urban | 32 (18.0) | 61 (35.5) |
| Rural | 146 (82.0) | 111 (64.5) |
| <5000 patients | 88 (49.4) | 64 (37.2) |
| >5000 patients | 90 (50.6) | 108 (62.8) |
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 68.8 (10.2) | 68.4 (10.3) |
| Gender | ||
| Male (n, %) | 117 (65.7) | 106 (61.6) |
| Female (n, %) | 61 (34.3) | 66 (38.4) |
| Marital status | ||
| Married/living with partner | 111 (62.4) | 115 (66.9) |
| Separated/divorced | 15 (8.4) | 10 (5.8) |
| Widowed | 26 (14.6) | 21 (12.2) |
| Single/never married | 26 (14.6) | 26 (15.1) |
| Medical card holder | 141 (79.2) | 152 (88.4) |
| Employment status | ||
| Paid work: employee | 17 (9.6) | 12 (7.0) |
| Paid work: self-employed | 14 (7.9) | 8 (4.7) |
| Homemaker | 26 (14.6) | 19 (11.0) |
| Unemployed looking for work | 8 (4.5) | 8 (4.7) |
| Retired | 92 (51.7) | 111 (64.5) |
| Unable to work disability | 16 (9.0) | 9 (5.2) |
| Other | 5 (2.8) | 5 (2.9) |
| Spirometry (postbronchodilator) | ||
| FEV1 (% predicted) (mean (SD)) | 57.6 (14.3) | 59.7 (13.8) |
| FEV1 (mean (SD)) | 1.5 (0.49) | 1.5 (0.52) |
| FEV1 to FVC % (mean (SD)) | 52.9 (11.5) | 55.4 (11.9) |
| GOLD 3 severe COPD* n=97 (27.7%) | 56 (31.5%) | 41 (23.8%) |
| GOLD 2 moderate COPD* n=253 (72.3%) | 122 (68.5%) | 131 (76.2%) |
| Patient history (from medical records) | ||
| Hypertension or high cholesterol | 66 (37.1) | 76 (44.2) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 41 (23.0) | 62 (36.0) |
| Muscoskeletal problems | 66 (37.1) | 73 (42.4) |
| Diabetes | 22 (12.4) | 28 (16.3) |
| Asthma† | 38 (22.1) | 41 (23.0) |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | 43 (24.2) | 46 (26.7) |
| CNS disorders | 18 (10.1) | 21 (12.2) |
| Mental health problems | 28 (15.7) | 27 (15.7) |
| Use of inhalers | 155 (87.1) | 158 (91.9) |
| Home oxygen | 6 (3.4) | 11 (6.4) |
| Never smoked | 16 (9.0) | 27 (15.7) |
| Current smoker (n, %) | 70 (39.3) | 59 (34.3) |
| Males currently smoking (n, %) | 44 (37.6%) | 33 (31.1%) |
| Females currently smoking (n, %) | 26 (42.6%) | 26 (39.4%) |
Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise.
*Classification of COPD based on the GOLD (2006) classification criteria.
†Three participants reversed greater than what was indicated (>12% and 200 ml increase in FEV1) but the results for these three participants were still within the ranges of results for COPD on their postbronchodilator spirometry. None of the other FEV1 spirometry results were outside the reversibility limits.
CNS, central nervous system disorders; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity; GP, general practitioner.