General practitioners and management of patients with respiratory diseases in a real life survey

AIM: The prevalence of respiratory diseases has been assessed in community based epidemiological studies. General practice is the ideal position to intercept chronic respiratory illness and manage the first level of follow up as well. Aim of this study was to obtain General Practitioners (GPs) data about management and clinical setting of patients with respiratory diseases. METHODS: This is a prospective observational study; 272 Italian GPs were involved and equally distributed on the Italian territory. The interviews were performed by means of a questionnaire consisting in which consisted of 25 questions regarding individual demographics, catchment area, professional behavior, health attitudes. RESULTS: Each GP reported that about 13% of the pooled patients had a respiratory disease. Concerning as for chronic respiratory illnesses, spirometry was frequently prescribed and in these patients 63% of the interviewed GPs thought that the lung functional test was fundamental. GPs also reported the importance of improving health education, well aware of its importance in the prevention of respiratory diseases; and furthermore in improving the current health system organization. As for with regard to cigarette smoke, interviewed GPs reported that the 26% of their assisted subjects were smokers and the commitment to discouraging the smoking habit was very high. CONCLUSION: This is a large National survey that involved GPs and real life data about management of patients with respiratory diseases. The role of GPs in the management of chronic respiratory patients represents an important tool valuable in increasing primary care identification, education and treatment of respiratory diseases.