Disease categories treated are obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD/asthma), lung cancer, vascular disease, and infectious and inflammatory diseases in the pulmonary system.

Occurrences and mortality rates of COPD and lung cancer are increasing. Treatment extends to patients in need of non-invasive respiratory treatment in hospital and at home.

KOLS – Heim (COPD – Home)

– Home-based treatment of patients with serious COPD

Patients with serious COPD have increased mortality and reduced quality of life. Many receive help from their local authority's home care services, and we wish to make the most of the potential of this unique Norwegian service.

Our hypothesis is that better home based treatment of patients with serious COPD will reduce the occurrence of serious deterioration, days spent in hospital and the total use of health services, and furthermore that the patients will experience an increased degree of empowerment, better quality of life and a reduced loss of lung function.

The overarching goal is to establish an improved line of treatment for home based care, rehabilitation, monitoring, early intervention and treatment of patients with serious COPD. The project will also contribute to the development of technological solutions to make cooperation between involved parties more efficient.

KOLS – Heim is a prospective controlled, open intervention study involving patients in Trondheim who are admitted to the pulmonary unit due to COPD. The patients will be divided between the intervention and the control group according to their home address.

The intervention group will receive home nursing, and the patients will be trained in the systematic registration of deterioration symptoms and the start-up of treatment through the use of "My COPD book". Pulmonary nurses will visit all the patients at home for follow-up controls after 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and 2.5 years. The patients will complete three questionnaires. A patient's general health condition, pulse, respiratory frequency, PEF and FEV1 are registered along with all contact with the health services. In addition to the registrations the control group is followed-up in accordance with today's practice.

The aim is to study whether this model can affect the disease progression and the need for contact with health services, and contribute to an increased degree of empowerment among patients with serious COPD in relation to their condition.

The project comprises 175 patients, who will be followed to the end of 2013.

A collaborative project

KOLS – Heim is a collaborative project investigating a holistic patient approach between the Health and Welfare Department at Trondheim City Council, the Clinic for Thoracic and Occupational Medicine at St. Olavs Hospital HF, and SINTEF Health Research.

The KOLS – Heim project begun on 01.04.2008 with funding from Helse Midt-Norge and InnoMed.

The project group KOLS – Heim

• Chief physician Dr. med. Anne Hildur Henriksen, Head of Clinic at the Clinic for Thoracic and Occupational Medicine, Professor II at ISB, NTNU.
• Chief executive of Trondheim City Council Helge Garåsen.
• Professor, Dr. med. Rolf Walstad, St. Olavs Hospital HF, Clinic for Thoracic and Occupational Medicine.
• Professor, Dr. med. Sigurd Steinshamn, Head of section, St. Olavs Hospital HF, Clinic for Thoracic and Occupational Medicine.
• Professor, Dr. med. Tone Rustøen, Senior researcher Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Department of Research and Development, OUS.
• Researcher Jarl Kåre Reitan, SINTEF Health Research
• Academic responsible nurse, Synnøve Sunde, St. Olavs Hospital HF, Clinic for Thorarcic and Occupational Medicine.
• PhD student, Chief physician Elena Titova, ISB, NTNU.