COPD care pathways improve hospital outcomes and standardize treatment

Using a care pathway focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can lead to shorter hospital stays, increased referrals to pulmonary rehabilitation, and improved standardization of care, according to a new study. The study is published in the July 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal.

COPD is an inflammatory lung disease, comprising several conditions, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and can be caused by genetics and irritants like smoke or pollution. The disease affects more than 30 million Americans and is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. Individuals are commonly hospitalized for acute exacerbations, or flare-ups; however, proper hospital care for people with COPD varies.

This study examined the effectiveness of a COPD care pathway in a large academic medical center. Care pathways are designed using evidence and expert consensus to provide real-time decision support for health care providers.

The pathway in this study focused on two areas: patients admitted with a suspected acute COPD exacerbation and subsequent care, which included patient education, specialty care referrals, discharge needs, and other assessments. The pathway also helped providers verify a COPD diagnosis as many other conditions can appear as COPD or a COPD exacerbation.

Care pathways help standardize COPD treatment and guide providers with expert recommendations that improve outcomes. Despite low utilization, patients treated with a pathway were more likely to be referred to pulmonary rehabilitation, discharged home rather than to a facility, and had shorter hospital stays. These results show pathways make a real difference, and greater efforts are needed to expand their use."

Nancy Kim, M.D., PhD, lead author of the study and associate clinical professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine