THE CORMORANT PROGRAMME Transformation of diagnostic pathways for COPD in primary care using N-Tidal
THE PROBLEM
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) needs prompt diagnosis, but spirometry (the current gold standard) is uncomfortable for patients, time-consuming, and hard to deliver at scale in UK primary care, leaving many patients undiagnosed.
THE POTENTIAL SOLUTION
N-Tidal Diagnose™ uses AI analysis of CO₂ waveforms from simple, relaxed breathing to assess COPD risk. It's quick (as little as 5 minutes), easy to use, and could support diagnosis or exclusion of COPD., It could potentially offering a practical alternative to spirometry in primary care – but real-world evidence is needed before wider adoption and rollout in the NHS.
Cormorant programme aims
The CORMORANT Programme is a real-world evaluation of N-Tidal Diagnose’s accuracy and impact on patients, clinicians, and NHS resources in UK primary care.
We aim to:
- Assess the current landscape of COPD diagnosis in UK primary care, including access to spirometry services
- Evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of N-Tidal Diagnose compared to spirometry in patients with clinical suspicion of COPD
- Explore the barriers/facilitators of N-Tidal Diagnose integration in primary careto COPD diagnostic pathways
- Understand the economic implications of introducing N-Tidal Diagnose in primary care
FUNDED BY
NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme grant
WHO WE WORK WITH
The CORMORANT Programme is a collaborative partnership co-led by the NHS, patients, industry, and academia
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The Cormorant Programme
The CORMORANT Programme is made up of three work packages which are running in parallel to address the above aims. Please see WP1, WP2 and WP3 sections below for further information.
WHO WE ARE
We are a group of researchers from the University of Oxford. The study is under the umbrella of the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Community Healthcare. TidalSense are co-investigators. The Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit is delivering the diagnostic study.
WP1: Pathway mapping
We will be conducting a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals/professional stakeholders to map current diagnostic pathways for COPD in the UK.
WP2: Diagnostic study
A diagnostic accuracy study of N-Tidal vs. spirometry that will recruit 500 participants from 24 primary care sites.
WP3: Health economics
A health economics analysis, where the aim is to understand the economic implications of introducing N-Tidal Diagnose in a primary care setting.