Websites and Resources Available to Improve Care of COPD Patients The University of Texas Healtli Science Center at San Antonio Puinionary/Criticai Care Division, The South Texas Veterans Health Care System San Antonio, TX H a v i n g access to accurate, practical a n d easily u n d e r s t a n d a b l e i n f o r m a t i o n is essential t o a p p r o p r i a t e l y recognize, evaluate a n d manage c h r o n i c c o n d i t i o n s such as C O P D . D e p e n d i n g o n the websites y o u choose to view, the I n t e r n e t can be a useful resource for i n f o r m a t i o n . However, m u c h of the o n l i n e data r e g a r d i n g C O P D is o u t d a t e d , c o n f u s i n g a n d i n some instances, t h e i n f o r m a t i o n is c o m p l e t e l y incorrect. Inaccurate information may confuse patients w i t h C O P D and may perpetuate suboptimal recognition, evaluation and management of these patients by busy healthcare professionals. It may be difficult to find the t i m e and/or resources to attend high-quality seminars w i t h accurate and practical information. I t was out of this necessity to help i n f o r m that we developed practical and accurate online resources for C O P D patients, their caregivers and healthcare professionals. Practical Resource / Website for Healthcare Professionals: Despite advances identifying and m a n a g i n g patients w i t h C O P D over the last 20 years, many gaps still exist between how care should be delivered and how it is actually being provided i n clinical practice. Data have shown that many C O P D patients do not receive the best treatments according to current guidelines. So what can be done to help busy healthcare professionals provide the best care for their C O P D patients? One solution we developed is a Web-based, Interactive Professional Education i n COPD (WipeCOPD''*) p r o g r a m (wipediseases.org). O u r website helps healthcare professionals catch up on the "latest LUNG HEALTH PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE • VOLUIVlE 6 I NUMBER 1 I 2015 and greatest" C O P D information. Teaching clinicians the best ways to treat C O P D w i l l ultimately help patients feel better, be more active and do m u c h better overall. The W i p e C O P D ™ program is divided into several sections and is designed to teach healthcare professionals (including nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and physicians) about COPD. The "A to Z" section includes 15 presentations, each lasting between 12-20 minutes, w i t h interactive questions every 3-5 minutes. The "Clinical Learning" section includes interactions between a clinician and a COPD patient, which are facilitated to emphasize key points. The facilitated "Inhaler Demonstration" section includes videos of a patient receiving step-bystep instructions on each of the inhaler devices. The WipeCOPD™ program also includes a "Virtual Clinic" where the clinicians' questions are answered by a patient video. Healthcare professionals select the differential diagnosis, order studies and choose management options. There is a billing section that may be skipped if not applicable to the learner. Each healthcare professional is then provided w i t h individualized feedback (video and textual), based on what was chosen i n the previous tabs. The learner is able to go back and select different management options and the feedback section changes based on what is selected. Finally, there is a video summary, emphasizing the key points of the case. Animated COPD Patient' A year of unlimited access costs a mere $150 for physicians (for up to 14 hours of continuing education credit) and $100 for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists. Special pricing is available for groups, students and international learners (adamssg(5)wipediseases.org). Funds generated go to the not-for-profit entity, WipeDiseases™ Foundation, whose mission is to provide healthcare professionals w i t h tools to change clinical practice and improve outcomes of patients w i t h COPD and other chronic diseases. Finally, educating healthcare professionals about the best management of COPD w i l l help lower the risk of "flares" (acute exacerbations) and help COPD patients feel better and be more active. Healthcare professionals who indicate on the WipeCOPD™ registration page that they learned of the site from the COPD Foundation will have 25% of their registration fee donated by the WipeDiseases Foundation to the COPD Foundation. To learn more visit www.wipediseases.org or scan this QR code with your smartphone. Useful Website for COPD Patients and Their Caregivers: The A n i m a t e d C O P D Patient: A n A n i m a t e d Patient's Guide to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease can be found at www.animatedcopdpatient.com. One of the m a i n goals of this website is to provide accurate and useful information to empower patients and their caregivers to effectively deal w i t h this potentially devastating disease. Better r^kr Our St'ol SU/VH^' c o m m u n i c a t i o n between C O P D patients, their caregivers and their healthcare professionals leads to better health outcomes. The website is free to use and features brief videos on topics such as C O P D symptoms, risk factors, complications, diagnosis and treatment. I n addition to videos of animation, there are also videos of C O P D experts and patients w i t h COPD p r o v i d i n g their insights and experiences. Patients and their caregivers can review the information and resources at their o w n leisure. Webinar/Resources for Caregivers of COPD Patients: The C O P D Foundation i n collaboration w i t h Sunovion hosted a Webinar for C O P D Caregivers. One h u n d r e d twelve people registered and 43 participated i n the entire webinar, w h i c h featured an expert i n COPD, as well as a caregiver of a patient w i t h COPD. Some key messages that the expert and the caregiver conveyed d u r i n g the webinar included the importance of m a i n t a i n i n g a positive attitude, not r u s h i n g your loved one w i t h C O P D and m a k i n g sure y o u take care of yourself so that you continue to be able to care for your loved one. The C O P D Caregiver booklet can be downloaded at the following website: www.copdfoundation.org Click on the L E A R N b u t t o n for access to the Downloads Library or call the C.O.PD. Information line at 1-866-316C O P D (2673) to request a p r i n t e d booklet delivered to your home. ^ 41