Patient Burden and Insights in COPD: A Survey Analysis

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Healthcare Communication

Background:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects millions globally, causing significant morbidity and mortality.
• Patients with COPD often experience a high symptom burden impacting their quality of life, which requires better quantification.
• Understanding the patient experience is key to improving COPD care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the symptom burden and impact of COPD on patients' daily lives.
• To explore the treatment journey and identify barriers to effective COPD management.
• To assess communication gaps between patients with COPD and their healthcare providers (HCPs).

Main Methods:

• A quantitative survey, PatientInsights, was administered to patients with COPD during HCP visits in January 2025.
• The survey included 28 questions covering symptom experience, impact, treatment, and patient-HCP communication.
• Data from 1,615 patients were analyzed to understand their perspectives on COPD management.

Main Results:

• A significant proportion of patients (64%) reported a moderate-to-great impact of COPD on their daily lives.
• Only 45% of patients engaged in detailed discussions about their COPD with their HCPs.
• Barriers to maintenance medication use included perceived low severity and lack of HCP recommendation, though 77% of patients willing to try new therapies.

Conclusions:

• Effective COPD management requires improvements in patient-HCP communication.
• Addressing patient-reported barriers and enhancing dialogue can lead to more timely and effective COPD treatment.
• Further research into patient-provider communication dynamics in COPD is warranted.