Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28652719›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease2017

Validity and interpretation of spirometric recordings to diagnose COPD in UK primary care.

Kieran J Rothnie, Joht S Chandan, Harry G Goss, Hana Müllerová, Jennifer K Quint

Open access · goldAbstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
29citing papers in PubMed
5.5field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

29 citing papers in PubMed, 54 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Serum Biomarkers and Gene Polymorphisms in COPD and COPD with T2DM Patients.Indian journal of clinical biochemistry : IJCB · 2025
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Assessment and diagnosis of chronic dyspnoea: a literature review.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2022
    Review
  15. COPD - do the right thing.BMC family practice · 2021
    Review
  16. Accelerated FEVThe European respiratory journal · 2021
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Kieran J RothnieRespiratory Epidemiology, Occupational Medicine and Public Health, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.
Joht S ChandanQueen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, University Hospitals Birmingham, Birmingham.
Harry G GossMedical School, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London.
Hana MüllerováRespiratory Epidemiology, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Uxbridge, UK.
Jennifer K QuintRespiratory Epidemiology, Occupational Medicine and Public Health, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBGlaxoSmithKline (United Kingdom) · GBQueen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham · GBUniversity College London · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council G0902135
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe diagnosis of COPD is dependent upon clinical judgment and confirmation of the presence of airflow obstruction using spirometry. Spirometry is now routinely available; however, spirometry incorrectly performed or interpreted can lead to misdiagnosis. We aimed to determine whether spirometry undertaken in primary care for patients suspected to have COPD was of sufficient quality and whether their spirometry was correctly interpreted.

methodsTwo chest physicians re-read all spirometric readings for both quality of the procedure and interpretation, received as a part of COPD validation studies using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). We then used logistic regression to investigate predictors of correct interpretation.

resultsSpirometry traces were obtained for 306 patients, of which 221 (72.2%) were conducted in primary care. Of those conducted in primary care, 98.6% (n=218) of spirometry traces were of adequate quality. Of those traces that were of adequate quality and conducted in primary care, and in whom a general practitioner (GP) diagnosis of COPD had been made, 72.5% (n=218) were consistent with obstruction. Historical records for asthma diagnosis significantly decreased odds of correct interpretation.

conclusionThe quality of the spirometry procedure undertaken in primary care is high. However, this was not reflected in the quality of interpretation, suggesting an unmet training in primary care. The quality of the spirometry procedure as demonstrated by spirometric tracings provides a re-assurance for the use of spirometric values available in the electronic health care record databases for research purposes.

Indexed as

Primary Health CareSpirometryAgedDatabases, FactualElectronic Health RecordsFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsLungMaleMiddle AgedObserver VariationOdds RatioPredictive Value of TestsPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveQuality Indicators, Health Carechronic obstructivedata accuracyelectronic health recordsgeneral practicepulmonary diseaserespiratory function tests

Identifiers

PMID28652719
PMCPMC5473480
OpenAlexW2622715917

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.