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Undiagnosed patients and patients at risk for COPD in primary health care: early detection with the support of non‐physicians
Author(s) -
Vrijhoef Hubertus J. M.,
Diederiks Joseph P. M.,
Wesseling Geertjan J.,
Van Schayck Constant P.,
Spreeuwenberg Cor
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2702.2003.00736.x
Subject(s) - copd , medicine , asthma , medical history , obstructive lung disease , workload , pulmonary function testing , physical therapy , emergency medicine , intensive care medicine , family medicine , computer science , operating system
Summary • Given the increasingly heavy workload in the primary health care sector, the option of allocating activities involving the management of chronic diseases to non‐physicians has recently come under scrutiny. • The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of the support provided by non‐physicians to general practitioners (GPs) in the early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). • A convenience sample consisting of 231 patients [40–70 years; >10 pack years (number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day multiplied by the number of years the individual has smoked)] from eight general practices in the Maastricht region in the southern Netherlands, who consulted their GP for reasons unrelated to respiratory diseases, were assessed for their respiratory function. Prior to the first assessment, patients were interviewed about their medical history and symptoms. By taking the results of the lung function measurement as the starting point, the predictive value of medical history and symptoms in the identification of patients at risk for airflow obstruction or of COPD was assessed and compared with findings in the literature. • Seventeen patients (7.4%) were diagnosed with COPD, 11 patients (4.8%) with asthma. In addition to age and moderate smoking history, breathlessness and a history of heavy smoking were identified as risk factors for airflow limitation and COPD. • Early detection of COPD in primary health care by non‐physicians is feasible and should be considered for middle aged, moderate and heavy smokers experiencing breathlessness.