| Summary: | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) refers to a group of closely related diseases recognized by irreversibly impaired lung function and airflow obstructions. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that COPD will be found on the list of the six most frequent causes of death worldwide by 2020. More than 200 000 Norwegians are now diagnosed with COPD, and the prevalence is increasing. Thus, COPD constitutes a major future challenge for health services, and it is important to promote effective prevention and treatment of the disease. The Norwegian Directorate of Health has appointed a working group to develop national guidelines for COPD treatment, and as a part of this process the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services was commissioned to evaluate the efficacy of treatment of acute exacerbations of COPD in intermediate units or 'hospital at home" as compared to traditional hospital care. 1. Treatment of acute exacerbation of COPD in "hospital at home" may lead to fewer readmissions when compared to conventional treatment in hospital.2. Treatment of acute exacerbation of COPD in "hospital at home" may show a trend for lowering of mortality rate when compared to conventional treatment in hospital, these results did not reach significant differences3. It is uncertain whether patients, as well as their relative, seem to prefer treatment in "hospital at home" rather than conventional hospital treatment.4. No studies met the inclusion criteria when it came to evaluate the efficacy of intermediate care units for treatment of acute exacerbation of COPD.
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