Managing patients with COPD exacerbation: does age matter?

Introduction: there is little information about the relationship between age and management of COPD exacerbation (AECOPD), although older persons are known to be at a greater risk of hospital admission.

Methods: we have investigated responses from the clinical and patient questionnaire elements of the 2008 UK COPD audit, splitting the data into age decile.

Results: age ranged from 27 to 102.

A randomized trial of peer review: the UK National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Resources and Outcomes Project: three-year evaluation.

Rationale: Peer review has been widely used within the National Health Service to facilitate health quality improvement but evaluation has been limited particularly over the longer-term. Change within the National Health Service (NHS) can take a prolonged period--1-2 years--to occur. We report here a 3-year evaluation of the largest randomized trial of peer review ever conducted in the UK.

A learning model for the automated assessment of hand-drawn images for visuo-spatial neglect rehabilitation.

Visuo-spatial neglect (often simply referred to as "neglect") is a complex poststroke medical syndrome which may be assessed by means of a series of drawing-based tests. Based on a novel analysis of a test battery formed from established pencil-and-paper tests, the aim of this study is to develop an automated assessment system which enables objectivity, repeatability, and diagnostic capability in the scoring process. Furthermore, the novel assessment system encapsulates temporal sequence and other "dynamic" information inherent in the drawing process.

Introducing the national COPD resources and outcomes project.

Background: We report baseline data on the organisation of COPD care in UK NHS hospitals participating in the National COPD Resources and Outcomes Project (NCROP).

Methods: We undertook an initial survey of participating hospitals in 2007, looking at organisation and performance indicators in relation to general aspects of care, provision of non-invasive ventilation (NIV), pulmonary rehabilitation, early discharge schemes, and oxygen. We compare, where possible, against the national 2003 audit.