The use of spirometry in a primary care setting

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Outpatient Care
• Clinical Practice Patterns

Background:

• Spirometry is crucial for diagnosing and managing respiratory conditions.
• Understanding its utilization in different outpatient specialties is essential for optimizing patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current use of spirometry in family practice, internal medicine, and pediatric outpatient settings.
• To identify patterns and potential barriers to spirometry use.

Main Methods:

• A phone survey was conducted with 45 outpatient offices in central Pennsylvania.
• The survey included four questions regarding spirometry availability, usage for asthma, specific use cases, and preference for asthma versus COPD.

Main Results:

• Pediatricians utilized spirometry 66% of the time, internal medicine 60%, and family practitioners 47%.
• Among non-users, 94% referred patients to hospitals for spirometry.
• Routine use for asthma varied, with only 10-14% of pediatricians and family practitioners using it at every visit, while internists rarely used it regularly for asthma.

Conclusions:

• Pediatricians and internal medicine physicians demonstrate higher spirometry utilization in outpatient settings compared to family practitioners.
• Barriers exist that prevent the routine use of spirometry, though no single factor dominates.
• Further investigation into these barriers may improve spirometry adoption and patient management.