EU PAL-COPD launches first newsletter to celebrate milestones

The EU PAL-COPD project has launched its first newsletter to share news from its first year and next steps.

The EU PAL-COPD project is making great strides toward improving the lives of people living with advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Launched on January 2024, the project aims to integrate palliative care into the treatment process, ensuring a patient-centred and family-centred approach with care planning and shared decision-making.

The consortium, which includes 13 partners across seven European countries, will develop a new model for palliative care that can be used in different healthcare systems in Europe.

Integrating palliative care into standard respiratory care for people with COPD has been shown to reduce exacerbations and unplanned hospital admissions, whilst improving quality of life of both patients and their families.

Major milestones in year one

The project centres on a major international trial that will test whether the model for palliative care can be used in different healthcare settings. The model, known as the ICLEAR model, aims to identify palliative care needs and facilitate discussions with patients, families and all care providers to prepare an action plan for agreed future care strategies and to integrate palliative care into present and future care strategies.

The first year has focused on gathering input from stakeholders, discussions with an International Adaptation Oversight Group and extensive translation efforts, to get the intervention manual ready for pilot testing. This adaptation process, which involved centres in Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Denmark, Portugal and Hungary, is crucial to ensuring the model is culturally appropriate and effective across different regions.

The consortium has also been preparing both research staff and clinicians for the rollout, with training underway to ensure they are equipped with the necessary skills to implement the intervention successfully. This groundwork is a vital step toward the international trial and sets the stage for the next phase of the project.

Addressing gaps in COPD care

COPD is responsible for 2.9 million deaths annually and is the third leading cause of death worldwide, yet many patients receive inadequate or delayed palliative care despite experiencing severe symptoms. One of the biggest challenges facing patients with advanced COPD is the lack of early discussions around palliative care. This can lead to these services being introduced too late, only in the final weeks or days of life. This issue has highlighted the need for a more proactive, integrated approach to palliative care for COPD patients.

The EU PAL-COPD project aims to address this gap. Unlike traditional treatments that focus primarily on managing the physical symptoms of COPD, the ICLEAR model takes a holistic approach. It focuses on reducing pain but also on supporting emotional, social and psychological wellbeing. The model also encourages open conversations between patients, their families and healthcare providers about treatment options and future care needs, ensuring that patients can make informed decisions. By integrating palliative care earlier in the treatment process, ICLEAR-EU can offer better support, reduce unnecessary hospitalisations, and help patients live more comfortably at every stage of COPD.

Looking ahead

In 2025, the EU PAL-COPD consortium will roll out the highly anticipated international trial. This trial, set to take place across multiple hospitals in six countries, will be the first large-scale effort to integrate palliative care into the treatment of COPD patients. The data collected during the trial will be crucial for refining the model and ensuring it can be widely used across Europe, improving care standards for patients with advanced COPD.