Grant: Team Grant:THINC Implementation Science Team Grants - Indigenous Integrated Care

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious lung condition. People with COPD have difficulty breathing and can experience life-threatening, traumatic episodes where breathing is further blocked (called exacerbations or "lung attacks"). COPD affects millions of Canadians and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was a leading cause of hospitalizations in Canada. Spirometry allows accurate diagnosis of COPD for patients to get the care they need. It also increases collaboration and communication among the different healthcare professionals (HCPs) involved in COPD care. Misdiagnosis of COPD is common without spirometry, and may result in inappropriate care that wastes health system resources and is harmful to patients. A majority of COPD patients in rural, remote and First Nations communities in BC do not receive spirometry because these communities have limited spirometry services, and previous approaches to address this have been fragmented. A "Spirometry as Care" approach increases spirometry services, provides education, and enables communication among HCPs to improve the health of people with COPD. This project will create lasting working relationships among researchers, healthcare professionals, decision-makers, patients and relevant organizations to address the limited accessibility and use of spirometry. Qualitative and quantitative research methods will be used to understanding the current environment, and to generate ideas for delivering Spirometry as Care in remote, rural, and First Nation communities. These ideas will then be implemented in several communities. This project could substantially improve the healthcare experience of COPD patients and their HCPs, lead to healthier communities and make these improvements cost-effective. Simultaneously, it will increase understanding of how to effectively implement integrated care for other chronic conditions across BC and Canada.