Danish Register of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Danish Register of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Aim of database: The Danish Register of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, DrCOPD, is a nationwide database aiming to describe the quality of treatment of all patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, in Denmark. Study population: DrCOPD comprises data on all patients with a diagnosis of COPD. In the hospital setting, both in- and outpatients are included. In the setting of the general practice, GP, DrCOPD aims to include all patients with a COPD diagnosis who attend an annual control visit for COPD. Main variables: DrCOPD includes information on forced expiratory volume in 1 second, smoking status, body mass index, dyspnea treatment modalities such as rehabilitation, smoking cessation, medical treatment, and the use of noninvasive ventilation during hospitalization due to exacerbations. The outcome variables include frequency of readmission and death 30 days after discharge from hospital. Descriptive data: Since 2008, the registration in the Danish hospitals has gradually become more comprehensive. In 2014, about 90% of 16,106 eligible patients had complete data sets that showed an improvement in the processes describing quality of care, including increased offering of smoking cessation, rehabilitation, and correct treatment with inhaled medication. Data from GPs have been included since 2011, but are still incomplete and comprise only about 20% of all COPD patients seen. The collection of data from GP settings has recently been hampered due to legislative controversies. Conclusion: In relatively few years, DrCOPD has become increasingly comprehensive and has documented an improvement in the management of COPD in Danish hospitals.

Aim of database

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, is a common disease in Denmark because of the very high smoking prevalence among both men and women in the past 5 decades. The prevalence of COPD in Denmark is thus, among the highest in the Western world. It has been estimated that about 400,000 of the total population of about 5.5 million have obstructive lung function impairment compatible with COPD. In fact, the risk of death from COPD of a Danish woman is 3.3 times higher than the average in Europe, whereas the corresponding risk for a Danish man is about 1.7 times higher. COPD is a considerable burden for the Danish society, both with regard to premature deaths as well as economically due to substantial consumption of health care resources.

The Danish register of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, DrCOPD, is a nationwide database aiming to describe the quality of treatment of all patients with diagnosis of COPD in Denmark. The register started in 2008 by including hospital-based data, but in 2011, expanded also to include data from the setting of the general practice, GP. The ultimate goal of DrCOPD is to improve the quality of care for these patients by inspiring health care professionals and by providing data for research.