Asthma and COPD

Asthma and COPD: Recognising and Managing the Acute Exacerbation

Build confidence in recognising and managing the acute exacerbation in asthma and COPD. I’ll guide you through assessing severity, including the life-threatening features that demand immediate action, and the decisions that shape first-line management, escalation and urgent transfer.

This practical, case-based course keeps the focus on the decisions that matter most when someone is struggling to breathe, building on the clinical knowledge you already use every day.

Key learning points

• Assess the severity of an exacerbation, including life-threatening features

• Distinguish asthma from COPD patterns and look-alike presentations

• Interpret observations and spirometry in context

• Prioritise first-line management and recognise when treatment is not working

• Recognise when to escalate or arrange urgent transfer

• Communicate effectively during escalation and handover

Interactive and grounded in realistic scenarios, this course helps clinicians answer the critical question: “This exacerbation is severe, so what do we do now?”