Insights into implementation planning for point-of-care testing to guide treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation: a mixed methods feasibility study

The purpose of this mixed methods feasibility study was to gain insights into unmet clinical needs, stakeholder preferences and potential barriers and enablers to adoption for planning the implementation of point-of-care testing for earlier detection and guided treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) acute exacerbation in the NHS in England. Exacerbations of COPD cause considerable mortality and morbidity. Earlier identification of exacerbations and guided treatment would lead to reduced exacerbation duration, reduced hospitalizations and mortality, improve health-related quality of life, reduce unnecessary treatments (including inappropriate antibiotic prescribing) which could save the NHS over £400 per patient. During the early stages of product design, we took a multi-disciplinary approach to evidence generation, gaining insights from key stakeholders to test the product concept and inform evidence-based implementation planning. Primary data was collected from 11 health care and service professionals involved in the management of acute COPD exacerbations. Overall, participants agreed that by earlier differentiation of acute exacerbation from stable COPD, patients could be started on appropriate treatment. To implement point-of-care testing into clinical practice, evidence is required to demonstrate the accuracy of differentiating between exacerbation etiologies and to provide information on the beneficial impact to the system in terms of optimized management, reduced long-term side effects, admission avoidance, and cost-effectiveness. This research provides an evidence base for future implementation planning of point-of-care testing for earlier detection and guided treatment of COPD acute exacerbation. Moreover, the technology developers can decide whether to refine the product design and value proposition thereby de-risking product development.