PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Sandra Pedrero Tejada AU - Patricia Sobradillo Ecenarro AU - Marta Inchausti IguiƱiz AU - Nuria Marina Malanda AU - Maria Alfonso Imizcoz AU - Bernardino Alcazar Navarrete TI - Palliative care in advanced COPD: A community survey in Spain AID - 10.1183/13993003.congress-2016.PA3734 DP - 2016 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - PA3734 VI - 48 IP - suppl 60 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/48/suppl_60/PA3734.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/48/suppl_60/PA3734.full SO - Eur Respir J2016 Sep 01; 48 AB - Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that in its advanced stages leads to significant impairments.Previous studies suggest that COPD patients receive little palliative care even in very advanced stages.Aim: To describe the clinical practice of Spanish Pulmonologists in the care of COPD patients at the end-of-life (EoL).Materials: An on-line survey was sent to members of the Spanish Pneumology Society (SEPAR) including a)symptom management,b) structure and collaboration in each service, c) specialized medical training in palliative care,d) communication with the patient and family e)barriers to treat these patients.Results: We obtained 203 answers (13% of all contacted). 41% of participants reported treating dyspnea with opioids, 47% reported treating pain and only 34% stated that they treated anxiety/depression. About half of physicians did not have formal protocols to provide palliative care to patients with COPD. Physicians did not usually initiate discussions about EoL issues with their patients. The main barrier to communication about EoL issues were the lack of training (83%) and the belief that patients would not be certain about the type of care that would be preferred when illness progressed (81%).Conclusions: Education in palliative care to treat patients with advanced COPD is poor among Spanish Pulmonologists. Limited resources are a significant impediment to effective EoL care. The problems identified in this study could provide new areas for improvement.