Novel study design to assess the utility of the copd assessment test in a primary care setting

Table 2 Patient case summaries

Case	Age	FEV₁	CAT	Medical history	Patient issues
1	68	40	34	Severe COPD, highly burdened by disease	Mildly depressed; restricted in activities; need for pulmonary rehabilitation
2	60	30	21	Sedentary lifestyle, post- severe exacerbation	Loss of confidence; need for lifestyle & therapy review
3	50	70	9	Recently diagnosed mild COPD, mild burden of disease	Anxiety of diagnosis; need for lifestyle advice & general COPD management
4	65	45	16	CV co-morbidity which being well treated, but poorly managed COPD	Continued smoking & limited exercise; impact of disease on activities; poor compliance
5	70	68	23	Severely limited by disease - overt depression	Manifestations of depression; poor compliance; need for pulmonary rehabilitation & social support
6	63	65	19	Immigrated from Middle East / North Africa. Suffering bad chest infection, wants antibiotics. Highly burdened by cough	Doesn't believe he has COPD; need to appreciate impact of disease burden

Description of each of the six patient cases. Medical history briefly explains the case that was presented to the physician, while the patient issues are those elements of the case that the physician needed to identify and address. FEV₁: Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second; COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; CAT: COPD Assessment Test; CV: cardiovascular.

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