A MULTIDISCIPLINARY LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD): THE ROLES OF RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS, NURSING TECHNICIANS, AND DENTAL SURGERY TEAMS

ALYA ABKAR GWHAR, SARAB HAFIZ SHAR, MASHAEL MUSHREF ALZAHRANI, MAHA ALI ALMALKI, SUAD SAEED AL-ZUBAIDI, RAKAN YOUSEF ALSUBAYTI, ,ALI HAMAD ALAMMARI, MESHARI HAMED ALZAHRANI, AYMAN FALEH ALSAEDI, SULTAN ALI ALSAYALI, ABDULLAH ZUHAIR ALFARAJ, MUFLEH FLAH ALROUGI

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a global public health problem that requires effective multidisciplinary management for optimal patient outcomes. This review examines the collaborative role of respiratory therapists, nursing technicians, and dental surgery teams in the management of COPD through the analysis of evidence. The review synthesizes evidence describing how respiratory therapists provide specialist ventilatory support, pulmonary rehabilitation, and aerosol therapy management; nursing technicians provide the appropriate bedside care, education of the patient, and psychosocial support; and dental teams ensure the periodontal complications management that may otherwise exacerbate COPD. Evidence indicates that coordinated multidisciplinary treatment reduces re-admissions to hospitals by 25-35%, improves quality of life scores, and improves the capacity for self-management. The coordination of the three groups of healthcare offers synergistic benefits in response to the multisystem and polyfactorial nature of COPD. The review emphasizes the importance of clear collaborative framework protocols, coordinated care pathways, and the communication between professions in the optimization of the management of COPD with the identification of implementation barriers and future research in the enhancement of combined delivery of care.