Pulmonary Disease Questionnaire to Boost Diagnoses

Diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may increase with the use of a 5-question patient-administered survey (COPD-PS), according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Investigators randomized 9704 patients in primary care practices in 7 states who had not received a previous COPD diagnosis into 3 groups on the basis of treatment: COPD-PS plus spirometry, COPD-PS alone, and usual care. The rate of new COPD diagnoses within 8 weeks of the first visit was statistically significantly higher in the first and second groups than in the third group. The highest yield was seen in the COPD-PS plus spirometry group.

The researchers concluded that screening tools could be used to facilitate diagnosis of COPD in the primary care setting.