Spirometry for COPD Is Both Underutilized and Overutilized

摘要

An excellent study from the National Committee fornQuality Assurance (NCQA) in this issue of CHESTn(see page 403)1 confirms that when a diagnosis ofnCOPD is made in both primary care and subspecialtynsettings in the United States, spirometry is performednfor only one third of the cases. When spirometry wasndone—either before or after the initial diagnosis ofnCOPD—it included postbronchodilator (post-BD) spi-nrometry less than half of the time. These rates demon-nstrate that we as pulmonary specialists have a lot ofnwork ahead of us to educate our colleagues (primaryncare providers as well as specialists) about the necessitynto perform an objective test to confirm this commonndisease and stage its severity. As Doctor Tom Petty hasnsaid many, many times in the past 3 decades, “Nobodynwould ever think of treating hypertension withoutnmeasuring BP