Initiative Improved Primary Care Physicians' COPD Knowledge
Major Finding: Participants were more likely than nonparticipants to know that alveolar destruction is a pathophysiologic feature of COPD (94% vs. 74%), to know that women are more susceptible than men to the harmful effects of smoking (90% vs. 54%), and to correctly identify COPD in patients with dyspnea (90% vs. 74%).
Data Source: A cross-sectional survey of 50 primary care physicians who participated in a COPD educational initiative and 50 similar primary care physicians who did not.
Disclosures: The initiative meetings were supported by an educational grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Hanania did not have any conflicts of interest related to the study.
FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CHEST PHYSICIANS
That initiative is including not only physicians but also physician assistants and nurse practitioners, Dr. Hanania noted. "In our primary care setting in the U.S., nonphysician extenders – PAs, nurse practitioners – play a major role in encountering COPD, and those are people we like to target," he explained. Furthermore, their role will likely increase if health care reform proceeds and primary care physicians are overwhelmed by demand.
The initiative meetings were supported by an educational grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Hanania had no relevant conflicts of interest.
