RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Quality of COPD diagnosis in Ukraine: A phone survey
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P3442
VO 40
IS Suppl 56
A1 Ivan Vyshnyvetskyy
A1 Olga Khitrenko
A1 Tetiana Kugler
YR 2012
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P3442.abstract
AB Background. Quality of COPD diagnosis remains poor in post-Soviet countries. There is limited information about beliefs and patterns of care of COPD in Ukrainian general practitioners (GP).Aim. To explore the knowledge, beliefs and working stereotypes about diagnosis of COPD in Ukrainian GPs.Methods. We performed a telephone survey of 85 GPs in Donetsk region, Ukraine. As indicators of quality of COPD diagnosis we used answers on these questions: 1) “How many of COPD patients in your practice are both > 40 years old and smokers > 10 pack-years?” (correct was considered 80% and more); 2) “How many of COPD patients in your practice needed spirometry (SM) to confirm the diagnosis?” (correct was considered 100%); 3) “And how many of them actually had SM performed?”Results. Just 43 of 85 (50,6%) GPs demonstrated reliable knowledge of dominant COPD risk factors (age and smoking history). Two GPs could not answer the first question. Seventy two of 85 (71,8%) GPs considered SM essential to confirm diagnosis of COPD. Fourteen of 85 (16,4%) GPs deem that just less than half of COPD patients need SM to be performed. One physician (1,2%) did not know what SM is, and one considered it was suitable just in persons less than 60 years old. In real life setting confirmation by SM of COPD diagnosis in all patients perform 37.6% (32 of 85) GPs. Almost half of doctors (44,7%) really perform SM less than in 50% COPD patients. All indicators of sufficient quality of COPD diagnosis (knowledge of risk factors, knowledge of importance of SM and real use of SM) were present just in 20% (17 of 85) GPs.Conclusions. Quality of COPD diagnosis in is very poor. Just 20% of GPs demonstrate adequate knowledge and practice in correct COPD diagnosis.