Partnering with Your Doctor for COPD Information | SPIRIVA® HandiHaler® (Tiotropium Bromide Inhalation Powder)

Managing Your COPD

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Partnering with Your Doctor for Better Care

Your doctor is your most important ally in your fight against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Your doctor can:

Teach you how to manage COPD at home
Answer questions about medicines
Monitor changes in your condition
Provide an "Action Plan" to manage flare-ups
Oversee preventive health, such as flu shots and quitting smoking

Communication — the key to getting good care

A trusting relationship between doctor and patient can improve the quality of healthcare. Some tips for getting, and keeping, a good partnership include:
Open and honest communication. Be direct with your doctor about your concerns. Be honest about your health habits. You and your doctor can make better decisions when he or she has the whole story.
Listening. It´s easy to "tune out" information in the doctor´s office — not because you´re not paying attention, but because there´s a lot of information. You might want to have some paper handy when your doctor gives instructions. (If you can bring someone with you to be another set of ears, even better.) Write down what you understand. Ask about anything you don´t. And don´t be embarrassed to ask your doctor to repeat something. Your doctor wants you to understand.
Being clear. Your doctor should also be listening to you. You can help by being as clear as possible. Avoid vague complaints like "I don´t feel right." Be more specific: "I´m more short of breath than I was last week." Again, it´s great if you can bring a support person who can add details to whatever you tell your doctor.
Follow up. When you leave the office, it´s easy to let the doctor´s advice slip. Now is the time to take action. Pick up any new medications on the way home. Write down anything that you might forget. Share the information with a loved one, if it will help you stay on top of your care.

Getting more from your next appointment

Use the Interactive Doctor Discussion Tool and bring it with you to your doctor. It�s a quick way for your doctor to catch up on your symptoms of COPD — and for you to make sure you don�t forget anything important.

You may also want to print the Doctor Discussion Guide to help you get started.

Don't have a PDF reader? Get Adobe Reader here >

A word about smoking

Quitting smoking is the only way to slow the progression of COPD. So it's only natural that your doctor, whose job it is to care for you, may insist that you quit.

We understand that quitting isn't easy — but the idea is to keep trying, and ask your doctor for help.

Find out how SPIRIVA helps to manage COPD by opening airways >

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