Nurses represent an appropriate resource to deliver care and support
to individuals with COPD throughout the entire course of the
disease. Even though more research is needed to establish the
effectiveness of nurse-led interventions and consultations, there is
some growing evidence to demonstrate the benefits provided by
these interventions, particularly in relation to the hospital-at-home
and early discharge schemes, smoking cessation, and pulmonary
rehabilitation programmes as well as interventions aimed at
improving self-management behaviour. Studies have also shown
that nurses are able to deliver care that is as effective as that
provided by doctors. However, a paucity of standardised
competencies and specified training requirements – coupled with a
lack of clinical supervision, appropriate funding, and workload
pressures among nurses delivering COPD care – highlight specific
areas for improvement. Nurses need to strengthen their role to plan
and deliver more strategies to improve the quality of life of patients
with COPD and reduce the burden of this disease in the future. In
doing so, nurses cannot assume an increased responsibility in
isolation. More coordinated efforts and better mentorship and
support from colleagues, along with a formal recognition of their
new role, is needed to allow nurses to provide high-quality, safe, and
cost-effective care and, in that way, to optimise the use of limited
healthcare resources worldwide