COPD is a common condition that mainly affects middle-aged or older adults who smoke. Many people do not realise they have it. Ardens has created many different resources to support practices in identifying, monitoring and managing the care of COPD patients.

Recording Information on the Management of COPD Patients

The Ardens COPD Review template has been designed to standardise consultations, ensuring clinicians are following the same national guidelines and recording accurate coding of data. It is helpful for recording the latest contract requirements and completing a structured review.

To locate the template, access the relevant patient record. Open a new consultation and select the Run Template option (if not in a consultation, click on the Add button on the EMIS ribbon, followed by Data Using Template option). 

This will open the Template Picker screen. If you have accessed any templates before, these will display to the left of the screen. Search for the template using the search box provided (alternatively select the Ardens > Clinical Templates > Respiratory templates folder to the right of the screen). 

All of the Ardens Templates follow the latest NICE guidance and best practice information. This template includes:

• National Contracts (QOF/IIF) page for capturing QOF/IIF requirements.
• Review – Symptoms/Meds page to record symptoms, smoking status and review medication.
• Review – Exam/Investigations page to record examination and investigations.
• Review – Other page to document data around Mental Health, advanced care planning, driving and fitness to fly.
• Management page to document advice, management, and environmental considerations.
• Referrals page to record signposting and referrals.
• COPD Exacerbation page to record details of an exacerbation.
• Vaccinations page to record and view latest influenza, pneumococcal and COVID vaccinations.
• Review Completions and Recall page providing the ability to document an annual or interim review has been completed (necessary if using the Ardens LTC Recall System) and to record a diary date for future DOAC review or annual AF review – this will link to the Ardens Diary Recall System.

• Resources & Patient Messaging page providing helpful links to information for patients and professionals and information on QOF indicators.
• Template Info/Learning Points page providing template information and instructions for use, NICE copyright information and links to appraisal toolkits to enable recording of learning.

Within the National Contracts page, if the indicator has NOT been achieved for this financial year, there will be a red cross and red writing will denote action needed.

However, if the indicator has been achieved there will be a green tick and the writing will no longer be red. 

Information will be displayed if a time sensitive indicator has not been achieved and the timeframe has now expired. You are still able to enter this data via the relevant review page, however this will not achieve QOF points.

Please note - the above only applies to the National Contracts page, all other contract information on additional pages will be displayed in red and/or denoted by an asterix (*).

For patients presenting with multiple long term conditions, you may wish to use the Ardens Multi-Morbidity templates. 

Ardens COPD Data Quality Alerts

The Ardens resources includes Data Quality Alerts to alert practice staff in real time of incorrect coding or missing QOF requirements. These will ensure that you are entering accurate data to include your COPD patients on the QOF COPD register, whilst also alerting you of missing requirements.

COPD Spiro Alerts

If entering an incorrect QOF diagnosis code for COPD, the incorrect code alert will display.

Ardens COPD Clinical Safety Alerts

The Ardens resources includes Clinical Safety alerts to flag important MHRA drug safety and NICE guidance information that maybe missed. The alerts are triggered on certain activity in the patient record e.g. entering a particular code or prescribing specific drugs.

NPSA Steroid card alert

NPSA steroid card pop up alert will notify you if an at-risk patient has not had a card issued within the last 3 years and enables you to issue the card. This is triggered when issuing steroid medication (oral, rectal, inhaled but NOT topical).

Ardens COPD Searches

There are various searches that might be useful to support practices with the care of COPD patients:

• Ardens LTC Recall System - a month of birth recall system, designed to recall a patient for multiple QOF conditions at once.  These searches will ensure your COPD patients are attending their annual review.
• Diary Recall System - allows practice staff to easily manage diary recalls for blood tests, injections, procedures, and follow-ups.   
• QOF Related Searches - includes searches to identify patients that have not had the full elements of their review.
• Asthma and COPD Safety Searches - searches designed to help practices identify respiratory patients with potential safety issues.
• Medication Related Searches - medication related searches to support practices with identifying patients on medication that may need extra care or monitoring, including NPSA steroid alerts.
• Chronic Disease Risk Stratification Searches – searches to enable practices to prioritise reviews for high-risk COPD patients. 
• Ardens Case Finders - contains a suite of searches to support practices to improve data quality and ensure QOF payments are correctly calculated for your COPD patients.  
• Ardens Condition Reports -  contains a suite of searches which enables practices to monitor COPD activity for last month, be alerted to potential safety issues and areas of best practice that has not been completed.

COPD Document Template

For your COPD patients you may wish to supply them with the COPD Care Plan document.  

To access the Document Templates:

• Within a consultation, select the Documents > Create letter option.
• Outside of a consultation, select the Add > Document > Create letter option.

This will display the New Patient letter screen. Click on the magnify glass to search for the document template:

This will display the Find Document Templates screen.

Search for the COPD Care Plan document template using the search box provided, select the relevant document template and click on OK to launch (alternatively double click on the document to open).

The document will launch with the pre-populated information.

When completed, select File from the EMIS button on the left of the screen, Print (if needed) and Save and Close to save the document to the patients care record.

If you require any further assistance on the process above, please contact Ardens support on: support-emis@ardens.org.uk