[The Patient Questionnaire "Monitoring of Exacerbation Probability (MEP)"]

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Exacerbations significantly impact the progression of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
• Current methods for detecting and documenting COPD exacerbations lack satisfactory establishment.
• Accurate exacerbation monitoring is crucial for effective COPD disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a simple, short patient questionnaire for detecting COPD exacerbations.
• To establish clear criteria for identifying exacerbations based on questionnaire responses.
• To assess the suitability of the questionnaire for continuous documentation in healthcare systems.

Main Methods:

• Development of a brief patient questionnaire with a maximum of five positive response options.
• Evaluation of the questionnaire's performance in identifying exacerbations.
• Analysis of response patterns to differentiate between likely and potential exacerbations.

Main Results:

• A threshold of 2 or more positive responses reliably indicates an exacerbation.
• A single positive response suggests a potential, but not definitive, exacerbation.
• The developed questionnaire (MEP) is suitable for continuous, computer-based documentation.

Conclusions:

• The patient questionnaire provides a simple and effective tool for exacerbation detection in COPD.
• The MEP questionnaire facilitates improved documentation and management of COPD exacerbations.
• This tool supports timely intervention and better patient outcomes in COPD care.