Table 2.
Comparison of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
| Content | ATS/ERS | GOLD | NICE | CTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pages | 222 | 113 | 54 | 28 |
| Diagnosis/Disease staging | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Risk factors | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Natural history | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Pathology, pathogenesis, and pathophysiology | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| How to test for COPD | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Stable COPD management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Smoking cessation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pharmacotherapy | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pulmonary rehabilitation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Long-term O2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nutrition | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Surgery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Sleep | ✓ | |||
| Air travel | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Exacerbation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Palliative care | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Integrated disease management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Separate patient guide (80 pages) | Answers series of questions | |||
| Patient education | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Translating guideline in primary care | ✓ | 8 page summary for primary care3 | ||
| Follow-ups and monitoring | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Case scenarios | ✓ |
Abbreviations: ATS/ERS, American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society; GOLD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; NICE, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; CTS, Canadian Thoracic Society; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.