The role of a multidisciplinary student team in the community management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Objective To determine whether a community-based, multidisciplinary team consisting of home-based caregivers and supervised students could improve the functional status and quality of life of patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a low-income, peri-urban setting in South Africa. Methods This was a quasi-experimental study conducted over three months. Attention was paid to health literacy, inhaler technique, respiratory conditioning and nutrition. Results Health literacy was poor and most patients were not using their inhalers correctly. Five of 12 patients found exercising challenging and withdrew from the study early. In the remaining seven patients, statistically significant improvements in FEV1%, and quality of life scores were seen at three months. Improvements in exercise tolerance and BODE prognostic index did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion A home-based multidisciplinary student team can improve the functional status and the quality of life in patients living with COPD in a low-income setting. This approach offers a suitable model for community-based service learning.