Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease part 1: smoking cessation

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is common in the UK and causes a significant burden to patients and the NHS. Healthcare provision for COPD is largely focused on biomedical treatment, yet research suggests the complexity of factors contributing to this disease requires a deeper understanding of the patient experience and a more holistic approach to the provision of care. Smoking cessation is the single most cost-effective and significant way to slow the disease progress and improve outcomes for patients. However, barriers to smoking cessation are higher in patients with COPD than in other groups, requiring different approaches. This is part one of a two-part article, which focuses on patients with COPD caused by smoking. The second part will focus on non-pharmacological therapy.