Effectiveness of Spirometry Fundamentals™ for increasing the proper use of spirometry in patients with asthma and ...

To examine whether exposure to the Spirometry Fundamentals™ CD-ROM results in improved quality of spirometry testing in primary care.

Spirometry tests performed in 20 intervention and 19 control practices were analysed using American Thoracic Society grades A and B for 'passing' and grades C, D and F for 'failing'. Intervention effects on spirometry quality were assessed using random effects multivariate logistic regression.

Adjusted analyses revealed no intervention effect. The likelihood of passing tests was higher in paediatrics-only practices (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32 to 5.12; p=0.01). Hospital or university-based clinics had a lower performance than private or community-based practices in unadjusted analysis (7% vs. 22% passing tests; p=0.05). However, this relationship was not significant in adjusted analyses.

Spirometry Fundamentals™ is insufficient to improve the quality of spirometry in primary care, suggesting the need for more comprehensive multifaceted training resources.