ArticlePloS one2024
Exploring the causes of COPD misdiagnosis in primary care: A mixed methods study.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03482700 (The Impact of Specialist Led Integrated Care on Guideline Adherence and Outcomes in COPD), which is not on this map. Cited by 9 papers.
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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.
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.
The Impact of Specialist Led Integrated Care on Guideline Adherence and Outcomes in COPD
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Sputum colour charts to guide antibiotic self-treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the Colour-COPD RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Trial
- Older Adults' Self-Care and Family Caregiver Contribution in Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Dyadic Qualitative Study.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Article
- Sex-Based Disparities in Clinical Burden and Diagnostic Delay in COPD: Insights from Primary Care.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Decoding Diagnostic Delay in COPD: An Integrative Analysis of Missed Opportunities, Clinical Risk Profiles, and Targeted Detection Strategies in Primary Care.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Prevalence, diagnostic accuracy, and healthcare utilization patterns in patients with COPD in primary healthcare: a population-based study.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2025Review
- Assessment of breathlessness: a pulmonologist's perspective - short of breath, but not short of answers.Breathe (Sheffield, England) · 2025Review
- Machine Learning Models for Differentiating Causes of Dyspnea in Emergency Department Patients: A Retrospective Study.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Article
- The Burden of COPD with Type 2 Inflammation in North-West Continental Europe.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2025Review
- Solutions to Improve COPD Patients' Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Care: Recommendations From the CARABELA Initiative.Open respiratory archivesArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWithin primary care there exists a cohort of patients misdiagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Misdiagnosis can have a detrimental impact on healthcare finances and patient health and so understanding the factors leading to misdiagnosis is crucial in order to reduce misdiagnosis in the future. The objective of this study is to understand and explore the perceived causes of COPD misdiagnosis in primary care.
methodsA sequential mixed methods study, quantifying prevalence and features of patients misdiagnosed with COPD in primary care followed by a qualitative analysis to explore perceived causes of misdiagnosis. Quantitative data was collected for 206 patients identified as misdiagnosed with COPD within the INTEGR COPD study (NCT03482700). Qualitative data collected from 21 healthcare professionals involved in providing COPD care and 8 misdiagnosed patients who were recruited using a maximum variation purposive sampling.
resultsMisinterpretation of spirometry results was the prevailing factor leading to patients initially being misdiagnosed with COPD, affecting 59% of misdiagnosed patients in this cohort. Of the 99 patients who were investigated for their underlying diagnosis; 41% had normal spirometry and 40% had asthma. Further investigation through qualitative methodology uncovered reluctance to challenge historical misdiagnoses and challenges in differential diagnosis as the underlying explanations for COPD misdiagnosis in this cohort.
conclusionsPatients historically diagnosed with COPD without spirometric evidence are at risk of remaining labelled and treated for COPD despite non-obstructive respiratory physiology, leading to a persistent cohort of patients misdiagnosed with COPD in primary care. The lack of spirometry services during and after the COVID19 pandemic in primary care risks adding to the cohort of misdiagnosed patients. Support from respiratory specialists can potentially help to reduce the prevalence of COPD misdiagnosis in primary care.
trial registrationNCT03482700.
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