COPD Action Plan

Why a COPD Action Plan is important

A COPD Action Plan is a set of personalized guidelines on how to prepare and manage your COPD symptoms. As your symptoms change, it is important to respond and react accordingly. Your COPD action plan covers what to do in a wide range of cases, from when you are your usual, to emergency cases when you are feeling like something is wrong.

When used correctly, your COPD action plan can help you be more mindful of changes in your symptoms, leading to better symptom management and lower chances of hospitalization.

Creating a COPD Action Plan

Meet with your healthcare provider to co-create your COPD Action Plan. The symptoms and next actions listed in the green, yellow, and red zones (also labeled as As Usual, Something’s Different, and Something’s Wrong) may not be a full list. Work with your healthcare provider to edit or add additional symptoms and actions to the ones listed here.

Review your COPD Action Plan during every visit and update your COPD Action Plan every 6 months or as deemed necessary by your provider.

Print your own COPD Action Plan here.

Using a COPD Action Plan

Keep your COPD Action Plan somewhere you can refer to every day. You can check in with yourself throughout the day, we recommend after you take your morning medicine, to assess your symptoms. How are you feeling, as usual? A bit different? Like something’s wrong?

For days in the yellow zone, take note of what might be different in your routine so you can discuss patterns with your care team.

Take appropriate action if you are experiencing any of the listed symptoms. Many folks will overlook changes in their symptoms and fail to take appropriate action. This can lead to an increase in severity of exacerbations. Minimize exacerbation severity by monitoring your symptoms accurately, so that you can take action as effectively as possible.

Exacerbations vs Bad Days

People with COPD can sometimes experience exacerbations, also known as flare-ups. An exacerbation is a worsening of your normal condition, often caused by a lung infection.

Untreated exacerbations can lead to hospitalization and further lung damage, so it’s important to treat them as early as possible.

This article teaches you how to recognize and respond to an exacerbation.

COPD Action Plan

In This Article

Why a COPD Action Plan is important

Creating a COPD Action Plan

Using a COPD Action Plan

Exacerbations vs Bad Days