Using 21st century diagnostics to overcome barriers for lung function testing in primary care: it is time to consider oscillometry
Obstructive airways diseases, including asthma and COPD as the most commonly encountered respiratory diseases in primary care, are both diagnosed by lung function testing using spirometry as the gold standard. However, this test is not always available in primary care practices and if it is, it is a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-025-00445-7 |
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| author | Janwillem W. H. Kocks Grietje H. Prins Samuel Bardsley Deesha Ghorpade Sundeep Salvi |
| author_facet | Janwillem W. H. Kocks Grietje H. Prins Samuel Bardsley Deesha Ghorpade Sundeep Salvi |
| author_sort | Janwillem W. H. Kocks |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Obstructive airways diseases, including asthma and COPD as the most commonly encountered respiratory diseases in primary care, are both diagnosed by lung function testing using spirometry as the gold standard. However, this test is not always available in primary care practices and if it is, it is a difficult test to perform, requiring extensive operator training and patient co-operation with multiple forced manoeuvres. These barriers can lead to underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis, which further contributes to increased suffering and mortality associated with asthma and COPD. Oscillometry uses oscillating pressure waves to measure airflow obstruction and provides an alternative diagnostic test which is quicker and simpler than spirometry, requiring little training and no forced manoeuvres. Moreover, it provides additional aspects of lung function measurement which are not obtained by spirometry, making it a valuable option in primary care for diagnosing asthma and COPD. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1d817f82e6334d009afa18b7dc207cbe |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2055-1010 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-1d817f82e6334d009afa18b7dc207cbe2025-08-20T03:04:17ZengNature Portfolionpj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine2055-10102025-08-013511310.1038/s41533-025-00445-7Using 21st century diagnostics to overcome barriers for lung function testing in primary care: it is time to consider oscillometryJanwillem W. H. Kocks0Grietje H. Prins1Samuel Bardsley2Deesha Ghorpade3Sundeep Salvi4General Practitioners Research InstituteGeneral Practitioners Research InstituteGeneral Practitioners Research InstituteAcademic Research, Pulmocare Research and Education (PURE) FoundationAcademic Research, Pulmocare Research and Education (PURE) FoundationObstructive airways diseases, including asthma and COPD as the most commonly encountered respiratory diseases in primary care, are both diagnosed by lung function testing using spirometry as the gold standard. However, this test is not always available in primary care practices and if it is, it is a difficult test to perform, requiring extensive operator training and patient co-operation with multiple forced manoeuvres. These barriers can lead to underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis, which further contributes to increased suffering and mortality associated with asthma and COPD. Oscillometry uses oscillating pressure waves to measure airflow obstruction and provides an alternative diagnostic test which is quicker and simpler than spirometry, requiring little training and no forced manoeuvres. Moreover, it provides additional aspects of lung function measurement which are not obtained by spirometry, making it a valuable option in primary care for diagnosing asthma and COPD.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-025-00445-7 |
| spellingShingle | Janwillem W. H. Kocks Grietje H. Prins Samuel Bardsley Deesha Ghorpade Sundeep Salvi Using 21st century diagnostics to overcome barriers for lung function testing in primary care: it is time to consider oscillometry npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine |
| title | Using 21st century diagnostics to overcome barriers for lung function testing in primary care: it is time to consider oscillometry |
| title_full | Using 21st century diagnostics to overcome barriers for lung function testing in primary care: it is time to consider oscillometry |
| title_fullStr | Using 21st century diagnostics to overcome barriers for lung function testing in primary care: it is time to consider oscillometry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using 21st century diagnostics to overcome barriers for lung function testing in primary care: it is time to consider oscillometry |
| title_short | Using 21st century diagnostics to overcome barriers for lung function testing in primary care: it is time to consider oscillometry |
| title_sort | using 21st century diagnostics to overcome barriers for lung function testing in primary care it is time to consider oscillometry |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-025-00445-7 |
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