Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41813030›Full record

ArticleBMJ open respiratory research2026

Barriers to implementing a pharmacist-led COPD CARE bundle in rural settings: a qualitative evaluation.

Edward Christopher Portillo, Martha Maurer, Steven Do, Nora Jacobson, Te-Lien Ku, Tiffany Parham, Dylan Erdelt, Jenna Vande Hey, Sarah Will, Heather Ourth and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open respiratory research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. COPD CARE Academy: Design of Purposeful Training Guided by Implementation Strategies.Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS · 2025
    Article
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

13 authors.

Edward Christopher PortilloUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA edward.portillo@wisc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8156-6038
Martha MaurerUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Steven DoUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Nora JacobsonUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Te-Lien KuSocial and Administrative Sciences Division, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Tiffany ParhamUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Dylan ErdeltUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Jenna Vande HeyUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Sarah WillClinical Pharmacy Practice, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Heather OurthClinical Pharmacy Practice, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Michael Shawn McFarlandClinical Pharmacy Practice, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Sierra SzymanskiUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Michelle A ChuiUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesPatients living in rural settings are among the least likely to receive care, contributing to excess deaths in rural communities from respiratory conditions. We examine barriers that impede implementation of a care bundle for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management that was widely implemented across rural communities in the USA.

setting17 rural medical centres implementing the care bundle in the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). Medical centres were located across 13 states, with 3 VA medical centres (VAMC) in the Southeast, 4 in the South, 9 in the Midwest and 1 in the Northwest.

participantsClinician participants engaged in programme implementation included pharmacy leaders, hired clinical pharmacists, nurse care managers and pharmacy technicians. Participation was offered to all clinicians engaged in the implementation process and was voluntary. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: This evaluation identifies barriers that impede implementation of a care bundle for COPD management. To guide our analysis, we identified challenges that strongly aligned with work system factors within the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) 2.0 model.

resultsChallenges experienced during the implementation of a COPD service in rural settings included (1) limited staff availability, (2) fragmentation of care, (3) technology challenges, (4) limited referral opportunities, (5) competing demands on pharmacist time and (6) clinician apprehension regarding their ability to manage a new disease state.

conclusionsThis evaluation furthers what is understood regarding barriers to implementing care bundles within rural healthcare contexts. Our findings suggested that clinicians in rural settings felt constrained in their ability to take on new tasks and expand their practice models due to staffing shortages and heavy workload demands. Some clinicians reported approaches they used to address barriers they encountered, such as leveraging relationships with other healthcare practitioners to enhance communication and minimise technology limitations.

Indexed as

Patient Care BundlesPharmacistsPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveRural Health ServicesHumansQualitative ResearchRural PopulationUnited StatesUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsCOPD epidemiologyCOPD ExacerbationsPulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive

Identifiers

PMID41813030
PMCPMC12983696

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.