[DGP Interstitial Lung Disease Patient Questionnaire]

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) are complex, chronic lung conditions requiring interdisciplinary diagnosis.
• The existing Frankfurter Bogen questionnaire (1985) needs updating for current medical practice.
• Accurate patient medical history is critical for ILD diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a revised patient questionnaire for interstitial and rare lung diseases.
• To improve the diagnostic process for ILD by enhancing medical history collection.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative development involving pulmonologists, occupational medicine physicians, and psychologists.
• Linguistic optimization and final refinement with input from patients.
• Development under the auspices of the clinical section of the German Society of Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine (DGP).

Main Results:

• The new questionnaire covers diverse domains including symptoms, medical history, and environmental exposures.
• It includes specific sections on prior treatments, co-existing pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases.
• The questionnaire addresses family history, travel history, and potential occupational or leisure-time exposures.

Conclusions:

• The newly developed patient questionnaire is a valuable tool for clinical routine.
• It can facilitate the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease in patients presenting with relevant symptoms.
• Improved medical history taking through this questionnaire supports better ILD patient management.