COPCORD
COPCORD, standing for the Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases. COPCORD is primarily an ILAR (International League of Associations for Rheumatology) initiative which was launched in collaboration with WHO (World Health Organization) in late 1980s. The program was created for the recognition, prevention and control of rheumatic disorders in developing countries. The program was meant to measure and evaluate ‘pain and disability’ in rheumatic disorders. The active and enthusiastic participation of community and its health care providers to complete COPCORD surveys has been overwhelmingly satisfactory and endearing.
In the parent COPCORD model , population data (Stage I) was collected through three successive phases- house to house survey by a local health worker to identify cases (Phase I), interview based questionnaires by paramedics to capture pain and disability (Phase II), and a standard medical evaluation by a doctor with some training in rheumatology (Phase III). COPCORD also advocates education of the community and health care providers and identification of risk factors (Stage II). Based on community data, it also encourages investigators to plan, execute, and maintain improved health care through preventive and control strategies (Stage III). A validated core questionnaire (CCQ), developed initially by ILAR could be modified to suit the local requirements as far as the principle questions on pain and disability were unchanged.
Prof Davatchi from our country have played critical COPCORD roles. Prof Davatchi is the current APLAR COPCORD coordinator.
A pilot COPCORD study started in Iran on 3 October 2003. The first real COPCORD study started in Tehran (stage I, urban study) on 27 February 2004. On 27 February 2007, the next study, a rural study (stage I), started in the northwest of Iran, in five villages and done in 2009. The third study was done in the southeast of Iran, in the city of Zahedan (stage I, urban study) in 2009. The fourth study was done in Sanandaj, in the northwest of Iran (stage I, urban study) in 2012. The fifth study was finished in 2016, in the Center of Iran.