Improving patient safety though an audit of COPD rescue packs (2025)

Organisation name

Project summary

Review after a COPD flare-up is an important part of COPD management to reduce future exacerbations and prevent hospital admissions as well as ensuring appropriate use of antibiotics and oral steroids. A template within EMIS is available to ensure all points are covered during a post-exacerbation review.

During the covid-19 pandemic, it was agreed to allow easy access to rescue medication for patients with lung conditions. This position has not been reviewed and it was felt that the recommended process of review following a COPD exacerbation was not being followed and possibly leading to overuse of antibiotics and or oral steroids in COPD rescue packs without appropriate reviews.

The purpose of this project is to understand how current COPD rescue pack prescribing compares to national and local guidelines in eight practices of our GP Federation.
A secondary aim is to ensure processes within the practice ensure that patients are reviewed post exacerbation to ensure good ongoing management of their condition.

Patients on the COPD register who have COPD rescue packs available to order on their repeat prescriptions were identified using an EMIS search.

Rescue pack prescribing was analysed against local NHS Frimley guidelines.

These patients were reviewed and advised of current best practice with regards to COPD rescue packs including the need for a review after each exacerbation.

As part of this review rescue packs will be removed from repeat prescription and patients reminded that a new rescue pack will be issued during the post exacerbation review.

Each patient was issued with a new COPD rescue pack action plan.