ERS satellite, March 2026
COPD
Addressing the serious suffering in COPD: palliative care
Speaker
Daisy Janssen, Professor in medicine, specialised in pallative care, Maastricht University, Netherlands
Palliative care can meet needs that disease-modifying therapies don’t.
Palliative or supportive care should be offered when unmet needs arise and in conjunction with disease-modifying therapies.1 The unmet needs reported by persons living with COPD or their informal caregivers can be of physical, psychosocial, social, and spiritual nature. Markers of disease severity can serve as a surrogate to identify those likely to have unmet needs. In this context, Daisy also referred to the “Surprise question” to identify the presence of unmet needs: “Would you be surprised if this person died within the next year?”
Barbara Fuchs
Medical Lead, Chiesi Nordic
Try a fan to cope with breathlessness
Breathlessness was given as an example, where it may not be enough to manage the symptom, but also consider the emotions it triggers, like fear of suffocation. A very practical help can be a handheld fan, operating at 2.85 m/sec, increasing the airflow into the face of the person, which can reduce the feeling of breathlessness within 4 min while still rated pleasant by study participants.2
Together, we’re less lonely
Loss of social life is a common experience, as well as limited support and understanding from their surroundings. It was highlighted that group-based educations and rehabilitations can address this unmet need by bringing people together. Also, helping the person in need of care to explain their situation to others, is of importance.
Advanced care planning: dare to ask
Advanced care planning enables individuals to define goals and preferences for future medical treatment and care. This ensures people with COPD are given adequate information about their prognosis and are involved in decision making. A conversation about advanced care planning can start with the question: “What do you think will happen to you as a result of your COPD in the future? What are your biggest hopes and greatest fears?”
During the discussion after her talk, Daisy was asked if palliative care is for older people only. She was clear in her answer: palliative care is for all people suffering from severe illness regardless of their age.
Barbara Fuchs
Medical Lead, Chiesi Nordic
References
- Janssen DJA, Bajwah S, Boon MH, Coleman C, Currow DC, Devillers A, Vandendungen C, Ekström M, Flewett R, Greenley S, Guldin MB, Jácome C, Johnson MJ, Kurita GP, Maddocks M, Marques A, Pinnock H, Simon ST, Tonia T, Marsaa K. European Respiratory Society clinical practice guideline: palliative care for people with COPD or interstitial lung disease. Eur Respir J. 2023 Aug 17;62(2):2202014. doi: 10.1183/13993003.02014-2022. PMID: 37290789.
- Burrell T, Simpson A, Ramsenthaler C, Crooks MG, Johnson MJ, Swan F. Cool facial airflow hastens exertion recovery in chronic breathlessness: randomised crossover trial of different fan airflow speeds. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2025 Aug 26;15(5):633-641. doi: 10.1136/spcare-2024-005103. PMID: 40514228.
ID 20189-10.03.2026