Eligibility of real-life patients with COPD for inclusion in trials of inhaled long-acting bronchodilator therapy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Management guidelines of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are mainly based on results of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), but some authors have suggested limited representativeness of patients included in these trials. No previous studies have applied the full range of selection criteria to a broad COPD patient population in a real-life setting.

Methods

We identified all RCTs of inhaled long-acting bronchodilator therapy, during 1999-2013, at ClinicalTrials.gov and translated trial selection criteria into definitions compatible with electronic medical records. Eligibility was calculated for each RCT by applying these criteria to a uniquely representative, well-characterised population of patients with COPD from the Optimum Patient Care Research Dat

SUBMITTER: Halpin DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5034631 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature