A narrative review of proactive palliative care models for people with COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of lung diseases that are distinct in underlying aetiology but share a common disease course of persistent and progressive airflow restriction. People living with COPD, as well as the people who care for them, frequently have severe and unmet physical and psychosocial needs, including breathlessness, fatigue, cough, anxiety and depression. Early proactive palliative care is well placed to address these needs, yet it is frequently under-utilised in this group. This narrative review aimed to identify core components of palliative care and examine how existing models of care are implemented to better understand which models can best serve the needs of people with COPD. Symptom palliation, advance care planning, and support for caregivers emerged as the common components underpinning both generalist and specialist models of palliative care. Models of proactive palliative care were diverse in terms of where and how care was delivered as well as which health professionals were involved. Five key models of palliative care were identified: (1) multi-disciplinary integrated services, (2) nurse-led care, (3) hospice and residential aged care, (4) home-based care, and (5) telemonitoring and telehealth. Each model describes a diverse set of interventions and many of these share common elements, including the normalisation of palliative principles within routine care and the provision of diverse delivery settings to accommodate individual preferences and needs. Successful palliative care models must be practical, accessible and innovative to respond to individuals' complex and evolving needs, foster multi-disciplinary collaboration and input and optimally utilise local healthcare resources.