The Future of COPD Management: Advancing Nursing’s Pivotal Role

Dear Colleagues,

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to be a major cause of illness and death worldwide and requires a coordinated and multidisciplinary approach to care. As health care systems move toward integrated, preventative, and technology-enabled models, nurses are central in shaping the future of COPD management. Their evolving roles now extend across early diagnosis, patient education, acute and community-based management, telemonitoring, and long-term case coordination. Nurse educators play a vital role in preparing the workforce with the clinical reasoning, leadership, and technological competencies needed to drive these innovations.

In emergency settings, nurses provide rapid assessment and stabilisation, while in rural and remote areas where specialist services are scarce, they often lead on diagnosis, monitoring, and follow-up. The growing use of portable diagnostic tools, digital platforms, and artificial intelligence is expanding nurses’ capacity to detect and manage comorbidities, including sleep-disordered breathing. Nurse-led models of care that harness these technologies can improve accessibility, continuity, and person-centeredness. Collectively, these advances position nurses as key agents in preventing exacerbations, reducing hospital admissions, and improving quality of life. The future of COPD care will depend on empowering nurses as clinical leaders, educators, and innovators within dynamic, patient-focused health systems.

Prof. Dr. Clint Moloney
Dr. Hancy Issac
Prof. Dr. Leah East
Guest Editors

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