Methods	RCT Concealment of allocation: NOT CLEAR Follow up of patients: 2 months Blinded assessment of outcomes: NOT DONE Baseline measurement: DONE Reliable primary outcome measure: DONE Protection against contamination: DONE
Participants	Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Mean age: treatment = 68.5; control = 69.9 Treatment = 122 Control = 62
Interventions	Hospital at home (early discharge from admissions unit) Type of service: acute respiratory assessment service nurse, medical advice from on call respiratory team and GP; out of hours care provided by GP Control group: in-patient hospital care
Outcomes	Respiratory function Quality of life Additional car GP satisfaction Costs
Notes
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors’ judgement	Support for judgement
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	B - Unclear