Sample
COPD
COPD, SECONDARY, RECRUITMENT
The criteria for admission to this study and the recruitment process have been previously reportedFour hospitals participated: two tertiary university hospitals (600–900 hospital beds) and two regional secondary care hospitals (150–400 hospital beds) in the provinces of Barcelona and Madrid.Each center had a trained interviewer, and each department had a referring physician who was accessible to the interviewer. Each day, the interviewer contacted the referring physician to review the hospitalization census and identify patients with the diagnosis of interest. Next, the interviewer confirmed the main diagnosis (decompensated HF and/or exacerbation of COPD) with the physician responsible for the patient and then contacted the participant (the same day or the next day) to obtain informed consent and verify compliance with all admission criteria of this study. The sample was obtained through convenience sampling, and all patients were enrolled consecutively as they were identified.The recruitment and follow-up periods lasted 18 months starting in November 2010.