COPD assessment test - Rationale, development, validation and performance

Abstract

In the three years since it was published the CAT has triggered a surprisingly large number of papers. In cross-sectional and longitudinal studies it correlated well with scores obtained with the more complex CRQ and SGRQ. Scores in COPD patients appear to be similar across the world, and are higher in people with more frequent exacerbations. It is responsive to pulmonary rehabilitation and changes with the onset and recovery from an exacerbation. Progress is also being made in establishing values to be expected in people without COPD, both smokers and non-smokers. It has been incorporated into assessment guidelines, although its contribution to the routine monitoring of patients has yet to be established.Perhaps most importantly, it enables rapid and reliablea ssessment of a patient's health status in routine practice. © 2013 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.