Search

Objectives and background: Despite the lack of data, it is believed that spirometry is underutilized in general practice. The aim of the present study was to determine the availability of spirometry and the level of spirometry training in general practice throughout Australia and compare with international data. Methods: In total, 5976 general practices throughout Australia were sent a questionnaire requesting details of spirometer ownership, usage and the level and source of spirometry training. To exclude response bias, a follow-up telephone survey was conducted of 160 practices that did not respond to the initial survey. Results: Of practices 19.5% (1125) responded to the initial survey with 64.2% (722) of these owning a spirometer and 83.9% in the follow-up sample. Common reasons for not owning a spirometer were equipment cost (53.3%) and insufficient remuneration (32.8%). Most practices (67.0%) performed one or more tests per week. Practices commonly used spirometry to diagnose (89.5%) and manage (93.9%) asthma, assess breathlessness (83.4%) and to detect and manage other diseases such as COPD (77.7%). Spirometer accuracy was never checked using a syringe 77.8% of practices and 40% did not test a healthy subject as part of their quality assurance programme. Spirometry training was received most commonly through courses run by general practice organizations (38.2%), and the duration of training courses was

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of adult respiratory symptoms and conditions in a rural setting with a metropolitan setting. Methodology: We used cross-sectional population surveys of respiratory health using the European Respiratory Health Survey screening questionnaire. A random sample of 4455 eligible young adults aged 20–44 years, from electoral rolls in south-eastern metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, and 4521 from rural south-western New South Wales were surveyed. Results: Response rates of 72% (n = 3194) and 69% (n = 3121) were achieved in Melbourne and the Riverina, respectively. Respondents from the Riverina reported significantly higher prevalences of nocturnal dyspnoea (P < 0.01), chronic bronchitis (P = 0.03), an asthma attack in the previous 12 months (P < 0.001), ever having had asthma (P < 0.001) and doctor-diagnosed asthma (P < 0.001) compared to those from Melbourne. However, among those with ‘asthma attacks in the last 12 months’, Melbourne respondents experienced a higher frequency of attacks (P < 0.05). Riverina respondents reported a higher prevalence of smoking (P < 0.05) and smoked more cigarettes on average (P < 0.001) than Melbourne respondents. However, annoyance from air pollution was higher in Melbourne than in the Riverina. Conclusions: These results suggest that asthma is more prevalent in rural southern New South Wales than in Melbourne but follows a different pattern of exacerbations.