A Course Proposal on Office Spirometry and Peak Flowmetry Usage for Family Physicians and Evaluation of its Effectiveness

Abstract

Aim: The diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) ‎and asthma are crucial in family practice. However, the utilization of pulmonary function tests in Turkey is not sufficient and also the interpretation ‎of spirometric test results is not adequate due to lack of knowledge.‎ This study aimed to provide a course on using office spirometry and peak flowmetry for family physicians and helping them become competent in approaching the respiratory system.

Methods: A course with unique content was developed and administered to family physicians. A 20-item test covering the educational content was applied to the participants before and after each course. Oral and written feedback was taken from the participants to evaluate the course program.

Results: 115 family physicians joined the study. Pre-test and post-test scores were 40.39±12.8% and 75.22±11.12%, respectively. Primary outcome of the study was the difference in the mean test scores before and after the trainings, which revealed significant (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Extending this kind of courses to all family physicians might be useful in facilitating the diagnosis of respiratory diseases, enabling more conscious diagnoses, and possibly more efficient utilization of the health resources, leading to better health outcomes. 

Keywords

• Expiratory Peak Flow Rate,Spirometry,Respiratory Function Tests

Aile Hekimlerine Yönelik Ofis Spirometresi ve Peak Flow Metre Kullanma Eğitimi Hazırlanması ve Etkinliğinin Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Amaç: Kronik obstrüktif akciğer hastalığının (KOAH) ve astımın tanısı, tedavisi ve

izlenmesi aile hekimleri için oldukça önemlidir. Bununla birlikte, Türkiye'de solunum

fonksiyon testlerinin kullanımı yeterli değildir ve spirometrik test sonuçlarının

yorumlanması da eğitim ihtiyacından dolayı yetersizdir. Bu çalışma, aile hekimleri için

ofis spirometresi ve peakflowmetre kullanımı ile ilgili bir eğitim vermeyi ve aile

hekimlerinin solunum sistemi hastalıklarına yaklaşımında yardımcı olmayı

amaçlamaktadır.

Gereç ve Yöntem: Özgün içeriğe sahip bir kurs geliştirildi ve aile hekimlerine

uygulandı. Katılımcılara her kurstan önce ve sonra eğitim içeriğini kapsayan 20

maddelik bir test uygulandı. Kurs programını değerlendirmek için katılımcılardan sözlü

ve yazılı geri bildirim alınmıştır.

Bulgular: Çalışmaya 115 aile hekimi katıldı. Ön test ve son test puanları sırasıyla %

40,39±12,8 ve % 75,22±11,12 idi. Çalışmanın en önemli çıktısı, eğitim öncesi ve

sonrası ortalama test puanlarındaki fark olup, bu durum anlamlı bulunmuştur (p

<0.001).

Sonuç: Bu tür kursların tüm aile hekimlerine yaygınlaştırılmasıyla; solunum

hastalıklarının tanısının kolaylaşması, tedavisinin daha bilinçli yapılması, sağlık

kaynaklarının daha etkili bir biçimde kullanılması ve sağlık çıktılarının iyileşmesi

beklenebilir.

Keywords

• Ofis Spirometresi,Peak Flowmetre,Aile Hekimliği,Solunum Fonksiyon Testleri

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