From Barriers to Breakthroughs: New CONQUEST Publication Reveals Insights on Delivering Quality Improvement at Scale

This latest publication reveals real-world insights into the successful implementation of the CONQUEST* quality improvement programme, which is co-funded by OPC Global and AstraZeneca, across 170+ practices in UK primary care. Examining the barriers encountered, solutions developed, and lessons learned, the paper provides a practical guide for other organisations looking to deliver healthcare initiatives like CONQUEST at scale.

CONQUEST used routine medical record data to proactively identify and manage patients with diagnosed and potential COPD who are at high risk of future lung and cardiac events, helping practitioners target support to those most likely to benefit.

Key findings include:

• Systematic case-finding can identify previously undiagnosed COPD.

  • Refining identification processes increased new COPD diagnoses from 21.7% to 48.2%, between the first and last set of CONQUEST spirometry clinics.

• Appointment reminders improved clinic attendance to over 85%.

• More than 1 in 4 identified patients had a high cardiovascular risk score, underlining the importance of integrated respiratory and cardiovascular care.

• A relatively small group of high-risk patients can represent a significant opportunity to improve outcomes while making efficient use of healthcare resources.

As healthcare systems increasingly adopt data-driven, population health approaches, CONQUEST demonstrates how proactive identification of high-risk patients can support earlier intervention and management optimisation.

The clinical impact of CONQUEST is currently being evaluated in the PREVAIL UK cluster-randomised trial, with primary results presented during the European Respiratory Society conference in September and full results expected later this year.

Access this latest manuscript in Primary Health Care Research & Development.

Appendix:

About CONQUEST*

CONQUEST (or the COllaboratioN on QUality improvement initiative for achieving Excellence in STandards of COPD care) comprises an interventional registry and integrated quality improvement programme (QIP) which has been implemented across over 170 primary care practices in the UK.

The registry contains anonymised data for patients considered to be at modifiable-high risk of respiratory and cardiovascular events, collected from electronic medical records, questionnaires, and clinical assessments. These patients include those with an existing diagnosis of COPD, a common lung disease, or those with potential undiagnosed COPD based on their medical history, but who have not yet been diagnosed.

The CONQUEST QIP, underpinned by four quality standards and integrated clinical decision support, provides relevant assessment and management considerations for modifiable high-risk patient care. Combined, these elements provide a framework to improve the management of patients with COPD through timely diagnosis, holistic disease assessment, quantification of future risk for respiratory and cardiac events, appropriate non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions, and regular patient follow-up.

CONQUEST is co-funded by Optimum Patient Care (OPC) Global and AstraZeneca.

Learn more about CONQUEST here: https://www.opcglobal.org/conquest