Disease-specific education in the primary care setting increases the knowledge of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: To examine the effect of brief disease-specific education delivered in primary care on objective measures of knowledge in individuals recently diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: A randomized control trial was undertaken during which an experimental group received 2 h of education delivered by a certified COPD educator and a control group received usual care. The Bristol COPD Knowledge Questionnaire (BCKQ) was self-administered at the time of randomization and approximately three months later. Results: Of the 93 individuals that completed the study, 50 (forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1) = 60.0 +/- 14.3% predicted; 22 males) and 43 (FEV1 = 58.2 +/- 14.4% predicted; 20 males) participants were randomized to the experimental and control groups, respectively. The BCKQ increased from 27.6 +/- 8.7 to 36.5 +/- 7.7 points (p < 0.001) in the experimental group, which was greater than any seen in the control group (between-group difference 8.3, 95% confidence interval 5.5-11.2 points). Conclusion: As little as 2 h of education delivered in primary care was effective at increasing objective measures of disease-specific knowledge. Practice implications: A program of brief education delivered in the primary care setting, represents an important approach for many individuals with COPD who are unlikely to access pulmonary rehabilitation. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.