Position Statement from the CTS COPD Steering Committee
Addressing therapeutic questions to help Canadian health care professionals optimize COPD management for their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Download]
Citation for this work: Bhutani M, Hernandez P, Bourbeau J, Dechman G, Penz E, Aceron R, Beauchamp M, Wald J, Stickland M, Olsen SR, Goodridge D. Addressing therapeutic questions to help Canadian health care professionals optimize COPD management for their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2020) Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine. ‘In Press’. Version 1.0 submitted for publication in the CJRCCSM on April 8, 2020.
InfoGraphic guidance for your patients:
Managing COPD during COVID-19 InfoGraphic [Download]
Physiotherapy Guidelines
Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting. Recommendations to guide clinical practice.
Thomas P, Baldwin C, Bissett B, et al. Physiotherapy management for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting. Recommendations to guide clinical practice. Version 1.0, published 23 March 2020.
Click here to guide patients on how to properly use an inhaler
Self-management Education, Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Exercise for patients with COPD
During this pandemic, self-management education and pulmonary rehabilitation programs will be closed until further notice. Self-management and pulmonary rehabilitation counseling can still be done remotely by telephone or via telehealth technologies in some institutions. However, this does not mean that the patient should remain inactive during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic, nor that they should not continue to implement their self-management strategies at home. Recommendations for patients are to continue to:
- adhere to their treatment plan (regular medication and action plan (CTS COPD Action Plan) with additional treatment in the event of an exacerbation); and
- practice a healthy lifestyle including remaining physically active. An example of this includes going for daily walks while practicing physical distancing of 2 meters from others, and using functional resistance exercises for strength training at home.
To encourage self-management education, patients can be invited to the website www.livingwellwithcopd.com where a free online learning course is available. Once they log in, they can go to the “Learning Activities” tab. There is a subsection called “Start here: Online learning course to live better with my COPD”, which proposes a series of eight videos that cover all the comprehensive aspects of the “Living Well with COPD” program. This online course and all the program materials are available in English and French.
There are a number of online resources that you can use to guide your patients to keep active at home, and to restart their exercise program should they have stopped. These tools and resources are coming from the Canadian Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program (CPRP) that can be found on the www.livingwellwithcopd.com website. You need to create an account as a healthcare professional and once you login go to the “Rehabilitation” tab.
Home Exercise Program
Series of Exercise Program videos
- Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_0WkmdVJs0
- Safety measures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBo0Tg1KfH0
- Flexibility Exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-et1TxOKBo
- Exercise Program 1 – Beginner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts6jOug_MJk
- Exercise Program 2 – Intermediate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQqVOVfw2_Q
Alternative Physical activities
- English: https://www.livingwellwithcopd.com/DATA/EDUCATION/369_en~v~alternative-physical-activities.pdf
Brochures and algorithms for patients who have stopped their maintenance exercise training
What to do when a COPD patient stopped exercising, algorithm for the healthcare professional:
- English: https://www.livingwellwithcopd.com/DATA/LIBRAIRIE/290_en~v~algorithm-on-exercise-cessation.pdf
Guide for a gradual return to Exercise, algorithm for the healthcare professional:
Steps to follow to take back the exercise program, brochure for the patient
- English: https://www.livingwellwithcopd.com/DATA/EDUCATION/370_en~v~exercise-cessation-patient-version.pdf