Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33814902›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Provision of Palliative Care in Patients with COPD: A Survey Among Pulmonologists and General Practitioners.

Johanna M C Broese, Rianne M J J van der Kleij, Els M L Verschuur, Huib A M Kerstjens, Yvonne Engels, Niels H Chavannes

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. What helps or hinders the communication of poor prognosis between secondary and primary care? A systematic review with narrative synthesis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Johanna M C BroesePublic Health & Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-4815-2305
Rianne M J J van der KleijPublic Health & Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8638-4978
Els M L VerschuurLung Alliance Netherlands, Amersfoort, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-9957-7229
Huib A M KerstjensRespiratory Medicine & Tuberculosis, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-7705-7927
Yvonne EngelsAnesthesiology, Pain & Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7669-1018
Niels H ChavannesPublic Health & Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8607-9199
Leiden University Medical Center · NLLung Foundation Netherlands · NLRadboud University Nijmegen · NLUniversity Medical Center Groningen · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPatients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience significant symptom burden, leading to poor quality of life. Although guidelines recommend palliative care for these patients, this is not widely implemented and prevents them from receiving optimal care.

objectiveA national survey was performed to map the current content and organization of palliative care provision for patients with COPD by pulmonologists and general practitioners (GPs) in the Netherlands.

methodsWe developed a survey based on previous studies, guidelines and expert opinion. Dutch pulmonologists and GPs were invited to complete the survey between April and August 2019.

results130 pulmonologists (15.3%; covering 76% of pulmonology departments) and 305 GPs (28.6%) responded. Median numbers of patients with COPD in the palliative phase treated were respectively 20 and 1.5 per year. 43% of pulmonologists and 9% of GPs reported some formalized agreements regarding palliative care provision. Physicians most often determined the start of palliative care based on clinical expertise or the Surprise Question. 31% of pulmonologists stated that they often or always referred palliative patients with COPD to a specialist palliative care team; a quarter rarely referred. 79% of the respondents mentioned to often or always administer opioids to treat dyspnea. The topics least discussed were non-invasive ventilation and the patient's spiritual needs. The most critical barrier to starting a palliative care discussion was difficulty in predicting the disease course.

conclusionAlthough pulmonologists and GPs indicated to regularly address palliative care aspects, palliative care for patients with COPD remains unstructured and little formalized. However, our data revealed a high willingness to improve this care. Clear guidance and standardization of practice are needed to help providers decide when and how to initiate discussions, when to involve specialist palliative care and how to optimize information exchange between care settings.

Indexed as

General PractitionersPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveHumansNetherlandsPalliative CarePulmonologistsQuality of LifeSurveys and Questionnairesadvance care planningCOPDorganizationpalliative caresurprise question

Identifiers

PMID33814902
PMCPMC8009343
OpenAlexW3147920265

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.