GECo: Implementation and Effectiveness of COPD Self Management Action Plans in Low and Middle Income Countries (GECo2)

This study will randomise people with clinically significant COPD (GOLD Grade B-D) to usual care or provision of a self-management action plan supported by monthly follow-up visits from a community health worker trained in the use of the action plan. The primary outcome will be health-status: a comparison of the change in St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) between baseline and 12 months in the two groups. We will randomise 240 people from three low- and middle-income countries, namely Nepal, Peru and Uganda. We will also examine the feasibility of implementing our self-management action plan intervention at scale.

The investigators will determine whether a self-directed COPD Action Plan for the management of COPD exacerbations can be implemented with trained community health workers (CHWs). The investigators hypothesise that COPD action plans with disease-specific education and support from a CHW will lead to improved quality of life and will be locally-appropriate, acceptable, and feasible to implement.

1. Clinical Aim 1: Assess the clinical effectiveness of CHW-supported COPD Action Plans in LMICs by comparing change in disease-specific quality of life measures (SGRQ) at one year.
2. Implementation Aim 1: Assess the appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility of implementing a CHW-supported, self-directed COPD Action Plan for management of COPD exacerbations.

The investigators will also determine whether a CHW-supported, self-directed COPD Action Plan is cost-effective, accounting for implementation realities. We hypothesise that COPD Action Plans are a cost-effective intervention, as measured by the incremental QALY.

1. Clinical Aim 2: Assess the cost-effectiveness of COPD Action Plans in terms of health-related costs and health benefits and explore broader cost implications to productivity.
2. Implementation Aim 2: Explore how the value of the COPD Action Plans is affected by both implementation factors that restrict optimal provision ('constraints') and sub-group differences, which have implications for equity.

The final design of our intervention will be informed by formative work prior to commencement of the main study.

Study fieldworkers will enroll and randomise 80 adults aged ≥40 years with GOLD GRADE B-D COPD at each of the following three countries in the catchment areas of existing community census areas in Bhaktapur (Nepal), Lima (Peru), and Nakaseke (Uganda). They will then be randomised via an online system into either a control (usual care) or intervention group.

The intervention arm will receive a specific self-management plan for COPD facilitated by trained CHWs, who will then visit the participants monthly. The control group will receive basic COPD education and be reminded about the sites for their local health care providers. The primary effectiveness outcome for the study will be change in health-status (SGRQ) between baseline and 12 months, across the two groups. We will also examine the cost-effectiveness of self-management for individuals with COPD.

The investigators will also examine the feasibility of implementing our self-management action plan intervention at scale.