COPD guidelines provide advice about the appropriate use of various medicat
ions in treating patients with this condition. Comparisons of drug therapy
as recommended by these guidelines with what is actually prescribed by both
primary care physicians and specialist pulmonologists in a number of Europ
ean countries can be examined in a variety of ways. Nonadherence to guideli
nes and differences between countries are caused by a number of factors, in
cluding varying degrees of misdiagnosis and different national attitudes to
various classes of drugs.