NCD1-ET: COPD screening at community level

Table 4.1 is a questionnaire to help you to assess whether a person you suspect may have COPD is at risk of developing the condition. You ask the questions and fill in whether the person gives a 'Yes' or 'No' answer.

Table 4.1 COPD screening questions.

Questions		Yes	No
1	Have you been coughing a lot and producing thick mucus (sputum) coughed up from your lungs?	□	□
2	Have you had shortness of breath?	□	□
3	Have you heard wheezing from your lungs when you breathe?	□	□
4	Do you smoke cigarettes, or did you smoke cigarettes in the past? If not, do you live with someone who smokes cigarettes?	□	□
5	Does anyone in your family have asthma and/or allergies?	□	□
6	In your work, have you been exposed to dust or chemicals that you often breathed in?	□	□
7	Have you often been exposed to smoke from cooking fires inside your house?	□	□

Interpretation of the results of the COPD screening questionnaire is as follows:

If the person answers 'yes' to at least two out of Questions 1, 2 and 3, refer him or her to the health centre for further evaluation. It is likely that they have COPD.
If the person answers 'yes' to only one of Questions 1, 2 or 3, and also has one or more of the risk factors mentioned in Questions 4 to 7, then advise them about the need for regular screening for COPD and educate them on the prevention of COPD by reducing their exposure to the risk factors.