A University-based Primary Care Clinic (PCC) analysis revealed that only 19% of patients with COPD had undergone spirometry testing, according to research at CHEST 2015 presented by Sandra Adams, MD, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA).
As part of the research, the Adams and team implemented the “WipeCOPD” program, which consisted of 60 to 90 minutes of continuing education modules per month along with 30 minutes of “live” training sessions on how to perform spirometry.
“The hardest part was getting them in the first module,” Adams said. But after clinicians started the first module, the amount continuing was high.
Post-intervention, the rate of spirometry increased from 19% (14 out of 75 clinicians) to 56% (176 to 312 clinicians) in just five months. The third-quarter of the study is still in the process, but rates are clocking in around 82%.
COPD: Less Than 20% of Primary Care Doctors Perform Spirometry
