EU PAL-COPD: Bringing Palliative Care into COPD Treatment

The EU PAL-COPD project is setting a new standard in COPD care by integrating palliative and end-of-life care into everyday clinical practice. At the heart of this initiative is ICLEAR-EU—a structured intervention aimed at reducing hospitalisations and improving quality of life for people living with COPD. The core idea is simple but powerful: ensure that patients, their families, and healthcare professionals engage in early, meaningful conversations about care preferences. These discussions lead to personalised care plans that reflect patients’ wishes and help guide both current and future treatment decisions.

To support successful implementation across Europe, Lung Alliance Netherlands, in collaboration with Radboudumc and the University of Pécs, has developed an implementation guidance. One of the implementation strategies is training. Healthcare professionals in 18 hospitals across six countries (Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) are being trained. Each country has its own trainers who completed a train-the-trainer program to ensure knowledge is passed on effectively.

A Two-Part Training Program

The ICLEAR-EU Training Program, developed by Lung Alliance Netherlands, includes both an e-learning module and an in-person training session.

The e-learning is based on a collaboratively written script covering:

1. The role and importance of palliative care in COPD;
2. What healthcare professionals should consider when providing this care;
3. Symptoms & symptom burden, and how to address them, including suggested patient questions.

Once the script was reviewed and finalised by all partners, it served as the foundation for the e-learning module.

The in-person training session focuses on the real-world application of ICLEAR-EU. Participants explore all aspects of the ICLEAR-EU intervention and discuss how to collaborate with primary care and home care services. Given the central role of communication, significant time is devoted to:

• Shared decision-making
• Assessing palliative care needs
• Goals-of-care discussions
• Escalation level conversations
• Advance care planning

Testing, Learning, Improving

Work package 3 integrates the efforts of the entire project. In a small-scale feasibility study led by Ghent University and the University of Copenhagen, ICLEAR-EU was tested in practice in five countries. Lung Alliance Netherlands developed a pilot training program for this purpose, while Lancaster University adapted the ICLEAR-EU intervention material based on the outcomes.

This resulted in an improvement of the ICLEAR-EU intervention and a more tailored training program, making us well prepared for the large-scale trial.

This article was prepared by Els Verschuur from LAN.