Assessment of Worldwide Bronchoscopy Practices and Training Methods: A WABIP Survey

The practice of bronchoscopy is not standardized. Regional and global variations in bronchoscopy practice are exacerbated by the paucity of recommendations regarding technical aspects in major bronchoscopy guidelines. The aim of this survey was to examine the prevalent practices, adherence to guidelines, and training requirements of bronchoscopy in different countries. The Membership Committee and the Education Committee of the World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology designed an online survey that was sent to 1,300 consultant physicians in adult respiratory medicine from 64 countries across five continents. The questionnaire included questions regarding bronchoscopy practice. We obtained 879 responses (67.0%). In 81.2% of cases, the practice occurred in cities with over 200,000 inhabitants. The median number of years in practice was 14 (range 1-50). Only 11% of respondents perform routine bronchoscopy without anesthesia. Spirometry was always performed before bronchoscopy by only 106 physicians (12.4%), blood coagulation tests were always required by 533 (60.6%) and an electrocardiography was always required by 339 (38.5%). The main indications for performing a bronchoscopy were suspicion of cancer (78.6%), suspicion of non tuberculosis (TB) infection (10.6%), and suspicion of TB (6.7%). 39.3% of responders received formal training for at least 6 months with a formal certificate. Despite the wide availability of bronchoscopy guidelines, the way to do them in terms of preparation, anesthesia, technical aspects, etc., varies greatly in each country and physician.