Quality standard
This quality standard covers assessing, diagnosing and managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
It does not cover COPD prevention, screening or case finding. Support and access to services to help people stop smoking are covered in NICE’s quality standard on tobacco.
In February 2016, this quality standard was updated in response to an annual review, which identified changes in the areas for improvement for this topic. For more information, see update information.
How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them
Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.
Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them. We check our quality standards every August to make sure they are up to date.