According to a recent study published in the ‘BMC Pulmonary Medicine’ journal, patients’ awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was associated with a higher rate of persistence and adherence to treatment.

This multi-centric cohort study included a total of 114 patients using data from real-world clinical practice, with an aim to assess persistence and adherence levels among treatment-naïve patients diagnosed with COPD, with a prescribed inhaled medication.

The key results were as follows:

• Patients who had awareness about COPD were more likely to be persistent with treatments.
• Patients who had awareness about COPD with a low symptom score were more likely to adhere to treatment.
• High symptoms scores were associated with lower probability of persistence.
• Patients who had had an appointment with their general practitioner (GP) in the previous six months were more likely to be persistent.

In conclusion, the results of the study suggest that raising patient awareness of the disease and improving cooperation between patients and clinicians should be implemented in practice to increase effectiveness of the treatment.