Accuracy of diagnostic registers and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the Devon primary care audit

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Guidelines on COPD diagnosis and management encourage primary care physicians to detect the disease at an early stage and to treat patients according to their condition and needs. Problems in guideline implementation include difficulties in diagnosis, using spirometry and the disputed role of reversibility testing. These lead to inaccurate diagnostic registers and inadequacy of administered treatments. This study represents an audit of COPD diagnosis and management in primary care practices in Devon.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Six hundred and thirty two patients on COPD registers in primary care practices were seen by a visiting Respiratory Specialist Nurse. Diagnoses were made according to the NICE guidelines. Reversibility testing was carried out either routinely or based on clinical indication in two sub-samples. Dyspnoea was assessed. Data were entered into a novel IT-based software which computed guideline-based treatment recommendations. Current and recommended treatments were compared.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Five hundred and eighty patients had spirometry. Diagnoses of COPD were confirmed in 422 patients (73%). Thirty nine patients were identified as asthma only, 94 had normal spirometry, 23 were restrictive and 2 had a cardiac disorder. Reversibility testing changed diagnosis of 11% of patients with airflow obstruction, and severity grading in 18%. Three quarters of patients with COPD had been offered practical help with smoking cessation. Short and long-acting anticholinergics and long acting beta-2 agonists had been under-prescribed; in 15–18% of patients they were indicated but not received. Inhaled steroids had been over-prescribed (recommended in 17%; taken by 60%), whereas only 4% of patients with a chronic productive cough were receiving mucolytics. Pulmonary rehabilitation was not available in some areas and was under-used in other areas.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Diagnostic registers of COPD in primary care contain mistakes leading to inaccurate prevalence estimates and inappropriate treatment decisions. Use of pre-bronchodilator readings for diagnosis overestimates the prevalence and severity in a significant minority, thus post bronchodilator readings should be used. Management of stable COPD does often not correspond to guidelines. The IT system used in this study has the potential to improve diagnosis and management of COPD in primary care.</p

Management and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations: a state of the art review

Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are important events in the natural history of this prevalent and devastating condition. This review provides a concise, state of the art summary on prevention and management of exacerbations. Considerable new data underpins evidence in support of many preventative interventions, pharmacological and non-pharmacological, that are now available. Challenges remain in developing new approaches, and delivering those that already exist to the right patient at the right time. Management of an exacerbation remains stepwise according to clinical severity, but there is now additional focus on addressing comorbidities and taking the opportunity at acute events to optimise preventative strategies for the future. Ultimately, exacerbations are heterogeneous events in a heterogeneous disease, and an individualised approach is paramount

Atlantic-Mediterranean and within-Mediterranean molecular variation in Coris julis (L. 1758) (Teleostei, Labridae)

Sequence variation in the mitochondrial control region was studied in the Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (Coris julis), a species with pronounced pelagic larval phase inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent coastal eastern Atlantic Ocean. A total of 309 specimens from 19 sampling sites were analysed with the aim of elucidating patterns of molecular variation between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean as well as within the Mediterranean Sea. Phylogeographic analyses revealed a pronounced structuring into a Mediterranean and an Atlantic group. Samples from a site at the Moroccan Mediterranean coast in the Alboran Sea showed intermediate frequencies of “Mediterranean” and “Atlantic” haplotypes. We recognised a departure from molecular neutrality and a star-like genealogy for samples from the Mediterranean Sea, which we propose to have happened due to a recent demographic expansion. The results are discussed in the light of previous studies on molecular variation in fish species between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and within the Mediterranean

State of Infectious Diseases in the Netherlands, 2009

In 2009 waren de meest in het oog springende infectieziekten in Nederland de uitbraken van Q-koorts en de nieuwe influenza A/H1N1. Dit blijkt uit de Staat van Infectieziekten 2009, die inzicht geeft in ontwikkelingen van infectieziekten bij de Nederlandse bevolking. Het rapport beschrijft ook de ontwikkelingen in het buitenland die voor Nederland relevant zijn. Met deze jaarlijkse uitgave informeert het RIVM beleidsmakers van het ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport (VWS). Elk jaar komt een thema aan bod, dit jaar is dat antimicrobiele resistentie. Een van de belangrijkste conclusies is dat resistente bacteriele ziekteverwekkers in toenemende mate in Nederland worden waargenomen, vooral in ziekenhuizen. Toenemende resistentie vormt een potentieel gevaar voor de volksgezondheid, omdat het steeds moeilijker wordt om infecties te bestrijden. In Nederland is het gebruik van antimicrobiële middelen laag in de gezondheidzorg voor mensen, maar hoog in de veterinaire sector. Dit hoge antibioticagebruik brengt mogelijk risico's met zich mee voor de mens, als resistente bacterien van dier naar mens worden overgedragen. Daarnaast vormt de opkomst van bacterien die ESBL produceren en Enterobacterien die resistent zijn tegen meerdere groepen antibiotica een belangrijke bedreiging voor de patientenzorg. Tegelijkertijd zal het gebruik van antibiotica toenemen als gevolg van de vergrijzing en daarmee resistentievorming in de hand werken. Het is daarom van belang om het gebruik van antimicrobiele middelen ook in de toekomst zo laag mogelijk te houden. Surveillance is een essentieel instrument om resistentie te signaleren en daar adequaat op te kunnen reageren.In 2009 the outbreak of Q-fever and new influenza A/H1N1 were the most striking events concerning infectious diseases in the Netherlands. This is concluded in the State of Infectious Diseases in 2009. The purpose of the report is to provide insight into developments of infectious diseases in the Dutch population. This report also describes current international developments abroad that are relevant to the Netherlands. The information contained in this yearly publication is compiled for policymakers at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). One particular topic is highlighted each year. This time the focus is on antimicrobial resistance. One of the main conclusions is that resistant bacterial pathogens are increasingly observed in the Netherlands, particularly in hospitals. Antibiotic resistance poses a potentially growing threat to public health because it is more difficult to treat infections with resistant pathogens. In the Netherlands, the use of antimicrobials is low in human health care, but high in the veterinary sector. This high level of antibiotic use may bring risks to humans, as resistant bacteria can spread from animals to humans. In addition, the emergence of ESBL producing bacteria and Enterobacteria resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics is a major threat to patient health care. It is anticipated that the use of antibiotics will increase in the future due to aging of the population, which will contribute to further increasing of resistance pathogens. It is therefore important to keep the use of antimicrobials as low as possible in the future. Surveillance is an essential tool for identifying and monitoring the occurrence of resistant pathogens in order to respond adequately.VW