Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

The content of this webinar is now seen as basic required knowledge for the majority of nurses in clinical practice. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is increasing in incidence throughout the world. It is estimated that one in 13 Australians over the age of 40 years have COPD, however, approximately 50% of people living with COPD may not know that they have it. Meaning that the prevalence is higher than current estimates. The content for this webinar is based on the 2024 guidelines from the Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
CPD HOURS: 1
 Registration Year 2024-2025

Course Content

The content of this webinar is now required knowledge for the majority of nurses in clinical practice. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is increasing in incidence throughout the world. It is estimated that one in 13 Australians over the age of 40 years have COPD, however, approximately 50% of people living with COPD may not know that they have it. Meaning that the prevalence is higher than current estimates.

It is required knowledge for all nurses in emergency department, critical care and respiratory ward nurses. However in other wards the patient may be admitted with other causes but have COPD as a co morbidity. It is now required for all cardiac nurses to acquire this information, as your patient may be admitted with Right Heart Failure which is directly linked to COPD. Due to the increase in incidence also of Right Heart Failure, the cardiac nurse will have expertise in the understanding of the pathophysiology of both emphysema, chronic bronchitis and the link to right heart failure.

COPD is a progressive and debilitating respiratory condition that is an umbrella term that includes a range of progressive lung diseases, most commonly due to emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2024 have set out evidence based guidelines which is the responsibility for every Nurse who cares for patients with COPD to be aware of them. The standards contains ten quality statements that describe the health care that should be provided to people living with COPD. An example identified in the webinar is a scenario of a Doctor prescribing oxygen therapy for your patient who has exacerbation of COPD.

Are you aware of your responsibilities when you administer oxygen?

Nurses must recognise that COPD patients require different oxygen needs. Administering oxygen based on a patient’s specific needs and monitoring their response is critical to avoid complications. Nurses should be knowledgeable about the appropriate target oxygen saturation levels for COPD patients (typically between 88-92%) to maintain adequate oxygenation while avoiding the risks of excessive oxygen therapy. A nurse's understanding of the potential dangers of oxygen therapy ensures that they can detect early signs of complications, such as respiratory distress or worsening hypercapnia, and intervene promptly.

The standards are a set of clinical guidelines to support clinicians on how to implement the care recommended in these clinical care standards. For example if you are asked by the medical officer to commence oxygen therapy on a patient with COPD, are you aware of these national guidelines that are expected that all nurses follow. This is called controlled oxygen management.

Not being aware of controlled oxygen monitoring can lead to potentially causing harm to these patients, leading to complications or worsening of their condition. There is a risk of hypoventilation leading to respiratory depression in patients with COPD. These patients may rely on low levels of oxygen rather than high carbon dioxide levels to trigger the urge to breathe. This is known as the "hypoxic drive." If a nurse administers too much oxygen to a COPD patient, it may suppress their natural breathing drive, leading to hypoventilation. This can cause an increase in carbon dioxide levels in the blood, leading to respiratory acidosis and respiratory failure. This elevated carbon dioxide (hypercapnia) can lead to confusion, lethargy, or even coma in severe cases.

In case you need help with why this session may be relevant to your work

Because of the increasing prevalence of COPD Nurses working in all clinical areas need to be aware of the treatment guidelines for this condition and understand the concept of controlled oxygen management for this group of patients.

Learning Outcomes

In this session you will:
  • Explore the incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Australia 
  • Identify the leading organization in Australia which provides guidance on protocols to be used in diagnosis and management of diagnosis of COPD
  • Discuss the pathophysiology of the two respiratory conditions that lead to a diagnosis of COPD
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the policy guideline relating to oxygenation of a patient with COPD

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Anne Evans-Murray

R.N., BHlthSc, MACCCN, Grad.Dip Ed, MEd, Dip Counselling, GradCertCritCare, CertIV Training and Assessment, CertIV in Mediation
Anne has a passion for teaching which she does in an unpretentious way that ensures you will not only understand and retain what she presents but will enjoy this learning experience. She has extensive experience of over 26 years lecturing for Gold Coast Health District and Griffith University.