Introduction
The European Respiratory Society (ERS) has been in guideline development for more than a decade. The world-renowned members of its guideline task forces have published >65 different documents since 2000 alone, including seminal guidelines on pulmonary rehabilitation, classification of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias and standardisation of spirometry. One of the most successful guidelines to date being “Standards for the diagnosis and care of COPD patients” in collaboration with the ATS, the editorial of which has been cited more than 1,043 times and is used daily in the decision-making processes of respiratory healthcare professionals worldwide [1].
Why involve patients?
The most highly respected healthcare professionals in respiratory disease are often involved in developing guidelines and ensuring that the evidence base for decisions and recommendations is scientifically sound. However, the opinion of the end-user, the …
