[Written action plans and acute exacerbations of COPD]

Acute exacerbations are the most frequent complications during progression of the COPD disease. Within a therapeutic educational program, performing written action plans has been shown to impact the management and the consequences of these acute exacerbations.

A personalized written action plan is a document generated by both health professionals and patients and is divided into three parts: detailed description of current clinical signs, of exacerbation symptoms and how to self-manage an exacerbation onset. The action plan is recorded in written document that should be kept by the patient. It is part of a therapeutic education course that allows making a patient competent to manage his life with the disease and to take the adequate measures when necessary. Education not only concerns the patient but also the caregiver, both being sensitized to the benefits of the action plan and both feeling competent for its realization and its implementation.

Routine training is necessary to sensitize health care providers to increase the use of personalized written action plans. This will help to redefine the role of the patient and the professional in promoting his self-management.