An international randomized study of a home-based self-management program for severe COPD: the COMET

Jean Bourbeau,1 Pere Casan,2 Silvia Tognella,3 Peter Haidl,4 Joëlle B Texereau,5,6 Romain Kessler7 On behalf of the COMET investigators 1Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; 2Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Facultad de Medicina, Oviedo, Spain; 3Lung Department, Ospedale Orlandi, Bussolengo VR, Italy; 4Krankenhaus Kloster Grafschaft, Schmallenberg, Germany; 5Air Liquide Healthcare, Medical Research and Development, Jouy-en-Josas, 6Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Physiologie Clinique, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, 7Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Translational Medicine Federation of Strasbourg, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France Introduction: Most hospitalizations and costs related to COPD are due to exacerbations and insufficient disease management. The COPD patient Management European Trial (COMET) is investigating a home-based multicomponent COPD self-management program designed to reduce exacerbations and hospital admissions.Design: Multicenter parallel randomized controlled, open-label superiority trial.Setting: Thirty-three hospitals in four European countries.Participants: A total of 345 patients with Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease III/IV COPD.Intervention: The program includes extensive patient coaching by health care professionals to improve self-management (eg, develop skills to better manage their disease), an e-health platform for reporting frequent health status updates, rapid intervention when necessary, and oxygen therapy monitoring. Comparator is the usual management as per the center’s routine practice.Main outcome measures: Yearly number of hospital days for acute care, exacerbation number, quality of life, deaths, and costs. Keywords: COPD, disease management, exacerbations, hospitalization, home care, clinical trial