National survey of spirometer ownership and usage in general practice in Australia

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.

[1]  J. Garrett,et al.  Spirometry in primary care practice: the importance of quality assurance and the impact of spirometry workshops. , 1999, Chest.

[2]  P. Correll,et al.  Asthma in Australia 2005 , 2005, The Medical journal of Australia.

[3]  John L. Hankinson,et al.  Standardization of Spirometry, 1994 Update. American Thoracic Society. , 1995, American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.

[4]  T. Tenhave,et al.  Attitudes of physicians toward objective measures of airway function in asthma. , 2003, The American journal of medicine.

[5]  M. Rudolf Making Spirometry Happen , 1999 .

[6]  R. Pauwels,et al.  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. , 2001, American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.

[7]  N. Chavannes,et al.  Validity of spirometric testing in a general practice population of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) , 2003, Thorax.

[8]  R. Davies,et al.  The management of pleural space infections , 2004, Respirology.

[9]  P. Frith,et al.  The COPDX Plan: Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for the management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2003 , 2003, The Medical journal of Australia.

[10]  A. Buist,et al.  Office spirometry for lung health assessment in adults: A consensus statement from the National Lung Health Education Program. , 2000, Chest.

[11]  H. Rea,et al.  A chronic disease management programme can reduce days in hospital for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , 2004, Internal medicine journal.

[12]  A. Ionescu,et al.  Attaining a correct diagnosis of COPD in general practice. , 2005, Respiratory medicine.

[13]  J. Walters,et al.  Barriers to the use of spirometry in general practice. , 2005, Australian family physician.

[14]  R. Pauwels,et al.  Spirometry in primary care: is it good enough to face demands like World COPD Day? , 2003, European Respiratory Journal.

[15]  M. Decramer,et al.  Office spirometry significantly improves early detection of COPD in general practice: the DIDASCO Study. , 2004, Chest.