NPJ Primary Care Respiratory Medicine最新文献

Spirometry should be used to confirm a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This test is not always performed, leading to possible misdiagnosis. We investigated whether the proportion of patients with diagnostic spirometry has increased over time as well as factors associated with omitted or incorrectly interpreted spirometry. Data from medical reviews and a questionnaire from primary and secondary care patients with a doctors' diagnosis of COPD between 2004 and 2010 were collected. Data were compared with a COPD cohort diagnosed between 2000 and 2003. Among 703 patients with a first diagnosis of COPD between 2004 and 2010, 88% had a diagnostic spirometry, compared with 59% (p < 0.001) in the previous cohort. Factors associated with not having diagnostic spirometry were current smoking (OR 2.21; 95% CI 1.36-3.60), low educational level (OR 1.81; 1.09-3.02) and management in primary care (OR 2.28; 1.02-5.14). The correct interpretation of spirometry results increased (75% vs 82%; p = 0.010). Among patients with a repeated spirometry, 94% had a persistent FEV₁/FVC or FEV₁/VC ratio <0.70.

Smart inhalers are electronic monitoring devices which are promising in increasing medication adherence and maintaining asthma control. A multi-stakeholder capacity and needs assessment is recommended prior to implementation in healthcare systems. This study aimed to explore perceptions of stakeholders and to identify anticipated facilitators and barriers associated with the implementation of smart digital inhalers in the Dutch healthcare system. Data were collected through focus group discussions with female patients with asthma (n = 9) and healthcare professionals (n = 7) and through individual semi-structured interviews with policy makers (n = 4) and smart inhaler developers (n = 4). Data were analysed using the Framework method. Five themes were identified: (i) perceived benefits, (ii) usability, (iii) feasibility, (iv) payment and reimbursement, and (v) data safety and ownership. In total, 14 barriers and 32 facilitators were found among all stakeholders. The results of this study could contribute to the design of a tailored implementation strategy for smart inhalers in daily practice.

Despite national and international guidelines, asthma is frequently misdiagnosed, control is poor and unnecessary deaths are far too common. Large scale asthma management programme such as that undertaken in Finland, can improve asthma outcomes. A primary care asthma management quality improvement programme was developed with the support of the British Lung Foundation (now Asthma + Lung UK) and Optimum Patient Care (OPC) Limited. It was delivered and cascaded to all relevant staff at participating practices in three Clinical Commissioning Groups. The programme focussed on improving diagnostic accuracy, management of risk and control, patient self-management and overall asthma control. Patient data were extracted by OPC for the 12 months before (baseline) and after (outcome) the intervention. In the three CCGs, 68 GP practices participated in the programme. Uptake from practices was higher in the CCG that included asthma in its incentivised quality improvement programme. Asthma outcome data were successfully extracted from 64 practices caring for 673,593 patients. Primary outcome (Royal College of Physicians Three Questions [RCP3Q]) data were available in both the baseline and outcome periods for 10,328 patients in whom good asthma control (RCP3Q = 0) increased from 36.0% to 39.2% (p < 0.001) after the intervention. The odds ratio of reporting good asthma control following the intervention was 1.15 (95% CI 1.09-1.22), p < 0.0001. This asthma management programme produced modest but highly statistically significant improvements in asthma outcomes. Key lessons learnt from this small-scale implementation will enable the methodology to be improved to maximise benefit in a larger scale role out.

Cognitive screening has been proposed for older adults diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore, we examined the change over time in cognitive function and the risk of incident dementia in older adults after COPD diagnosis. A sample of 3,982 participants from the population-based cohort study Good Aging in Skåne was followed for 19 years, and 317 incident COPD cases were identified. The cognitive domains of episodic memory, executive function, and language were assessed using neuropsychological tests. Mixed models for repeated measures and a Cox model were implemented. Participants performed, on average, worse over time on all neuropsychological tests after COPD diagnosis in comparison to those without COPD, although statistical significance differences were only observed for episodic memory and language. The groups had a comparable risk of developing dementia. In conclusion, our results indicate that cognitive screening in the early stages of COPD may be of limited clinical relevance.

This observational claims-linked survey study assessed the prevalence of and risk factors for suboptimal asthma control and healthcare utilization in adults with asthma receiving fixed-dose combination (FDC) inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β₂-agonist (ICS/LABA). Commercially insured adults from the Optum Research Database were invited to complete the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and Asthma Control Questionnaire-6 (ACQ-6). Among participants (N = 428), 36.4% (ACT-assessed) and 55.6% (ACQ-6-assessed) had inadequately controlled asthma. Asthma-related quality of life was worse and asthma-related healthcare resource utilization was higher in poorly controlled asthma. Factors associated with ACT-defined suboptimal asthma control in multivariate analysis included: frequent short-acting β₂-agonist (SABA) use, asthma-related outpatient visits, lower treatment adherence, and lower education levels. During follow-up, factors associated with asthma exacerbations and/or high SABA use included: inadequately controlled asthma (ACT-assessed), body mass index ≥30 kg/m², and high-dose ICS/LABA. Approximately 35-55% of adults with asthma were inadequately controlled despite FDC ICS/LABA; poor control was associated with worse disease outcomes.

This study aims to understand healthcare professionals' thoughts and motivations about optimal management and treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conducted a DELPHI survey through an online questionnaire distributed to 220 panellists from six European countries and a discrete choice experiment to describe the relationship between selected clinical criteria and the initial COPD treatment of choice. One hundred twenty-seven panellists (general practitioners [GPs] and pulmonologists) completed the survey. Despite the familiarity and use (89.8%) of the GOLD classification for initial treatment selection, a frequent use of LAMA/LABA/ICS was noted. In fact, panellists agreed that inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are over-prescribed in the primary care setting. Our study showed that GPs felt less confident than pulmonologists with ICS withdrawal. This mismatch observed between best practice and behaviour indicates the need to increase awareness and efforts to improve the adherence to guidelines in clinical practice.

This study investigated burden of 'not well-controlled' asthma, overall and by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Step, among treated asthma patients in Practice Fusion's research database. Asthma control (Asthma Control Test [ACT]) was stratified by GINA Step; prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance controlled for confounders. ACT scores ≤19 reflect not well-controlled; >19 reflect 'well-controlled' asthma. Of 15,579 patients, 30% had not well-controlled asthma at index date. The proportion of patients with not well-controlled asthma increased from GINA Step 1 (29%) to Step 5 (45%). Compared with Step 1, the proportion of patients with not well-controlled asthma was 0.87-times lower in Step 2, 1.10-times greater in Step 4, and 1.37-times greater in Step 5. Results suggest that despite available treatments, patients remain symptomatic across GINA Steps in real-world primary care and specialist outpatient practices, with incremental disease burden and unmet medical need in these populations.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the third most common chronic disease in China with frequent exacerbations, resulting in increased hospitalization and readmission rate. COPD readmission within 30 days after discharge is an important indicator of care transitions, patient's quality of life and disease management. Identifying risk factors and improving 30-day readmission prediction help inform appropriate interventions, reducing readmissions and financial burden. This study aimed to develop a 30-day readmission prediction model using decision tree by learning from the data extracted from the electronic health record of COPD patients in Macao. Health records data of COPD inpatients from Kiang Wu Hospital, Macao, from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019 were reviewed and analyzed. A total of 782 hospitalizations for AECOPD were enrolled, where the 30-day readmission rate was 26.5% (207). A balanced dataset was randomly generated, where male accounted for 69.1% and mean age was 80.73 years old. Age, length of stay, history of tobacco smoking, hemoglobin, systemic steroids use, antibiotics use and number of hospital admission due to COPD in last 12 months were found to be significant risk factors for 30-day readmission of CODP patients (P < 0.01). A data-driven decision tree-based modelling approach with Bayesian hyperparameter optimization was developed. The mean precision-recall and AUC value for the classifier were 73.85, 73.7 and 0.7506, showing a satisfying prediction performance. The number of hospital admission due to AECOPD in last 12 months, smoke status and patients' age were the top factors for 30-day readmission in Macao population.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on general practitioners' (GP) care for patients with asthma and/or COPD is largely unknown. To describe the impact of the pandemic on asthma or COPD-related GP care, we analysed routinely recorded electronic health records data from Dutch general practices and out-of-hours (OOH) services. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), the contact rates for asthma and/or COPD were significantly lower in GP practices and OOH services compared with the pre-pandemic period (2019) (respectively, 15% lower and 28% lower). The proportion of telephone contacts increased significantly with 13%-point in GP practices and 12%-point at OOH services, while the proportion of face-to-face contacts decreased. Furthermore, the proportion of high urgent contacts with OOH services decreased by 8.5%-point. To conclude, the overall contact rates in GP practices and OOH services decreased, while more contacts were remote. Lower contact rates have, after a short follow-up, not resulted in more patients with exacerbations in OOH care. However, this might still be expected after a longer follow-up.

The purpose of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of the impact of the accessibility and quality of medical care provided to patients with chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) during COVID-19 pandemic on the course and outcome of COVID-19 infection. The study included 132 patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19 and having one or more concomitant CNCDs. The patients were divided into two groups based on the quality of the initial CNCD therapy they received. Group 1 involved 58 patients (42%) who received treatment according to clinical guidelines and had a compensated CNCD. Group 2 consisted of 76 patients (58%) who received treatment that was not in line with modern clinical guidelines and/or had a decompensated CNCD. All 'red zone' hospitalized patients were surveyed. In particular, they were asked questions related to the quality and accessibility of medical care during COVID-19 pandemic and their satisfaction with the medical care received during the pandemic. Reduced access to medical care (the failure to have the therapy received timely evaluated and adjusted) during COVID-19 pandemic affects the quality of the therapy received by patients with CNCDs. Generally, an unfavorable course and outcome of COVID-19 infection are typical for patients receiving a non-optimal CNCD therapy as compared to patients receiving a therapy that meets current clinical guidelines.