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<meta content="Johns, D.P." name="eprints.creators_name" />
<meta content="Burton, D." name="eprints.creators_name" />
<meta content="Walters, J.A.E." name="eprints.creators_name" />
<meta content="Wood-Baker, R." name="eprints.creators_name" />
<meta content="David.Johns@utas.edu.au" name="eprints.creators_id" />
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<meta content="Julia.Walters@utas.edu.au" name="eprints.creators_id" />
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<meta content="2007-07-05" name="eprints.datestamp" />
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<meta content="National survey of spirometer ownership and usage in general practice in Australia" name="eprints.title" />
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<meta content="General practice, spirometer ownership, spirometry training, spirometry" name="eprints.keywords" />
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<meta content="Objectives and background: Despite the lack of data, it is believed that spirometry is underutilized in general practice. The aim of the present study was to determine the availability of spirometry and the level of spirometry training in general practice throughout Australia and compare with international data.
Methods: In total, 5976 general practices throughout Australia were sent a questionnaire requesting details of spirometer ownership, usage and the level and source of spirometry training. To exclude response bias, a follow-up telephone survey was conducted of 160 practices that did not respond to the initial survey.
Results: Of practices 19.5% (1125) responded to the initial survey with 64.2% (722) of these owning a spirometer and 83.9% in the follow-up sample. Common reasons for not owning a spirometer were equipment cost (53.3%) and insufficient remuneration (32.8%). Most practices (67.0%) performed one or more tests per week. Practices commonly used spirometry to diagnose (89.5%) and manage (93.9%) asthma, assess breathlessness (83.4%) and to detect and manage other diseases such as COPD (77.7%). Spirometer accuracy was never checked using a syringe 77.8% of practices and 40% did not test a healthy subject as part of their quality assurance programme. Spirometry training was received most commonly through courses run by general practice organizations (38.2%), and the duration of training courses was <2 h in 40% of cases. Conclusion: Despite high spirometer ownership in general practice, the frequency of use is low. Low rates of verification of spirometer accuracy and performance suggest the need for reliable, stable spirometers to be available to general practitioners. Regular and more comprehensive training in spirometry is needed.
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<meta content="2006-05" name="eprints.date" />
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<meta content="Respirology" name="eprints.publication" />
<meta content="11" name="eprints.volume" />
<meta content="3" name="eprints.number" />
<meta content="292-298" name="eprints.pagerange" />
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<meta content="References
1. Ferguson GT, Enright PL, Buist S, Higgins MW. Office spirometry for lung health assessment in Adults: a consensus statement from the National Lung Health Education Program. Chest. 2000; 117: 1146-61.
2. Pauwels RA, Buist AS, Calverley PM, et al, Committee GS. Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. NHLBI/WHO Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Workshop summary. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2001; 163:1256-76.
3. McKenzie DK, Frith PA, Burdon JG, Town GI, Australian Lung Foundation, Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand. The COPDX Plan: Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for the management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Med. J. Aust. 2003; 178:S7-39.
4. National Asthma Council. Asthma Management Handbook 2002. Melbourne: National Asthma Council Australia Ltd. 2002.
5. Bellamy D, Booker R. COPD in primary care: all a GP needs to know about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. McGraw Hill, NSW. 2003.
6. Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring. Asthma in Australia 2003. AIHW Asthma Series 1. AIHW Cat. No. ACM 1. Canberra: AIHW. 2003.
7. Buffels J, Degryse, Heyrman J, Decramer M: DIDASCO Study. Office spirometry significantly improves early detection of COPD in general practice: the DIDASCO Study. Chest. 2004; 125:1394-99.
8. Frith P, Crockett A, Esterman A, McKenzie DK. Airflow limitation and respiratory symptoms in a general practice population sample. Respirology. 2004;9:A9.
9. Britt H, Miller GC, Knox S, et al. General practice activity in Australia 2001-02. AIHW Cat. No. GEP 10. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (General Practice Series No. 10). 2002.
10. Halpin DMG, Rudolf M. An assessment of the impact of the BTS guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of COPD and the use of spirometry in primary care in the UK. Am. J. Resp. Crit. Care Med. 2001; 163(suppl 5): A281.
11. O'Dowd LC, Fife D, Tenhave T, Panettieri RA, Jr. Attitudes of physicians toward objective measures of airway function in asthma. Am. J. Med. 2003; 114:391-96.
12. Walters J, Hansen E, Mudge P, et al. Barriers to the use of spirometry in general practice to diagnose and manage COPD. Respirology. 2005;10(suppl):A62.
13. Tryon K, Kennedy Y, Rea H. Spirometry use in general practice. Respirology. 2004; 9(suppl): O4.
14. Bolton CE, Ionescu AA, Edwards PH, et al. Attaining a correct diagnosis of COPD in general practice. Respiratory Medicine. 2005; 99:493-500.
15. Rudolf M, Buchanan A, Hart L, on behalf of the COPD Consortium. Making spirometry happen. Thorax. 1999; 54(Suppl 3):A43.
16. American Thoracic Society. Standardisation of Spirometry: 1994 Update. Am. J. Resp. Crit. Care Med. 1995; 152: 1107 - 36.
17. Rea H, McAuley S, Stewart A, Lamont C, Roseman P, Didsbury P. A chronic disease management programme can reduce days in hospital for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int. Med. J. 2004; 34:608-14.
18. Eaton T, Withy S, Garrett JE, et al. Spirometry in primary care practice. The importance of quality assurance and the impact of spirometry workshops. Chest. 1999; 116:416-23.
19. Schermer T, Eaton T, Pauwels C, van Weel C. Spirometry in primary care: is it good enough to face demands likes World COPD Day? Eur. Respir. J. 2003; 22:725-7.
20. Schermer TR, Jacobs JE, Chavannes NH, et al. Validity of spirometric testing in a general practice population of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Thorax. 2003; 58(10):861-6.
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<meta content="Objectives and background: Despite the lack of data, it is believed that spirometry is underutilized in general practice. The aim of the present study was to determine the availability of spirometry and the level of spirometry training in general practice throughout Australia and compare with international data.
Methods: In total, 5976 general practices throughout Australia were sent a questionnaire requesting details of spirometer ownership, usage and the level and source of spirometry training. To exclude response bias, a follow-up telephone survey was conducted of 160 practices that did not respond to the initial survey.
Results: Of practices 19.5% (1125) responded to the initial survey with 64.2% (722) of these owning a spirometer and 83.9% in the follow-up sample. Common reasons for not owning a spirometer were equipment cost (53.3%) and insufficient remuneration (32.8%). Most practices (67.0%) performed one or more tests per week. Practices commonly used spirometry to diagnose (89.5%) and manage (93.9%) asthma, assess breathlessness (83.4%) and to detect and manage other diseases such as COPD (77.7%). Spirometer accuracy was never checked using a syringe 77.8% of practices and 40% did not test a healthy subject as part of their quality assurance programme. Spirometry training was received most commonly through courses run by general practice organizations (38.2%), and the duration of training courses was <2 h in 40% of cases. Conclusion: Despite high spirometer ownership in general practice, the frequency of use is low. Low rates of verification of spirometer accuracy and performance suggest the need for reliable, stable spirometers to be available to general practitioners. Regular and more comprehensive training in spirometry is needed.
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<h1 class="ep_tm_pagetitle">National survey of spirometer ownership and usage in general practice in Australia</h1>
<p style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block"><span class="person_name">Johns, D.P.</span> and <span class="person_name">Burton, D.</span> and <span class="person_name">Walters, J.A.E.</span> and <span class="person_name">Wood-Baker, R.</span> (2006) <xhtml:em>National survey of spirometer ownership and usage in general practice in Australia.</xhtml:em> Respirology, 11 (3). pp. 292-298.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block"></p><table style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block"><tr><td valign="top" style="text-align:center"><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/1283/1/j.1440-1843.2006.00851.pdf"><img alt="[img]" src="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png" class="ep_doc_icon" border="0" /></a></td><td valign="top"><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/1283/1/j.1440-1843.2006.00851.pdf"><span class="ep_document_citation">PDF</span></a> - Full text restricted - Requires a PDF viewer<br />72Kb</td></tr></table><p style="margin-bottom: 1em" class="not_ep_block">Official URL: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1843.2006.00851.x">http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1843.2006.00851.x</a></p><div class="not_ep_block"><h2>Abstract</h2><p style="padding-bottom: 16px; text-align: left; margin: 1em auto 0em auto">Objectives and background: Despite the lack of data, it is believed that spirometry is underutilized in general practice. The aim of the present study was to determine the availability of spirometry and the level of spirometry training in general practice throughout Australia and compare with international data.
Methods: In total, 5976 general practices throughout Australia were sent a questionnaire requesting details of spirometer ownership, usage and the level and source of spirometry training. To exclude response bias, a follow-up telephone survey was conducted of 160 practices that did not respond to the initial survey.
Results: Of practices 19.5% (1125) responded to the initial survey with 64.2% (722) of these owning a spirometer and 83.9% in the follow-up sample. Common reasons for not owning a spirometer were equipment cost (53.3%) and insufficient remuneration (32.8%). Most practices (67.0%) performed one or more tests per week. Practices commonly used spirometry to diagnose (89.5%) and manage (93.9%) asthma, assess breathlessness (83.4%) and to detect and manage other diseases such as COPD (77.7%). Spirometer accuracy was never checked using a syringe 77.8% of practices and 40% did not test a healthy subject as part of their quality assurance programme. Spirometry training was received most commonly through courses run by general practice organizations (38.2%), and the duration of training courses was <2 h in 40% of cases. Conclusion: Despite high spirometer ownership in general practice, the frequency of use is low. Low rates of verification of spirometer accuracy and performance suggest the need for reliable, stable spirometers to be available to general practitioners. Regular and more comprehensive training in spirometry is needed.
</p></div><table style="margin-bottom: 1em" cellpadding="3" class="not_ep_block" border="0"><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Item Type:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">Article</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Additional Information:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Keywords:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">General practice, spirometer ownership, spirometry training, spirometry</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Subjects:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row"><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/view/subjects/321208.html">320000 Medical and Health Sciences > 321200 Public Health and Health Services > 321208 Primary Health Care</a><br /><a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/view/subjects/321027.html">320000 Medical and Health Sciences > 321000 Clinical Sciences > 321027 Respiratory Diseases</a></td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">ID Code:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">1283</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Deposited By:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row"><span class="ep_name_citation"><span class="person_name">Dr Julia AE Walters</span></span></td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Deposited On:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">05 Jul 2007</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">Last Modified:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row">09 Jan 2008 02:30</td></tr><tr><th valign="top" class="ep_row">ePrint Statistics:</th><td valign="top" class="ep_row"><a target="ePrintStats" href="/es/index.php?action=show_detail_eprint;id=1283;">View statistics for this ePrint</a></td></tr></table><p align="right">Repository Staff Only: <a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/cgi/users/home?screen=EPrint::View&eprintid=1283">item control page</a></p>
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