Spirometry remains the #1 way to diagnose COPD. When you see risk factors like the ones detailed above—when motivational interviewing techniques reveal hidden patient symptoms—or whatever else leads you to suspect COPD, spirometry should be your go-to test.
And yet, spirometry remains woefully underutilized in COPD today. There are many reasons for this, and we’ll explore them—as well as potential solutions—in a future COPD insider article.
For now, suffice it to say that spirometry is key to accurately diagnosing COPD. And it is one of many keys that should be used as part of an encompassing, whole-patient approach to assessing risk.
When you look for COPD, know what you are looking forward to: helping 12 million undiagnosed Americans find quality care for a better quality of life.
1: NIH: Report - Fact Sheets, COPD 2013
2: WVHealth Statistics Center, Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease, 2006
3: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Strategic Framework for COPD Prevention, Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2011.