Department of Medicine, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital Ilorin, Nigeria.
BMC Pulm Med. 2009 Dec 14;9:50. doi: 10.1186/1471-2466-9-50.
Spirometry is a cost-effective diagnostic tool for evaluation of lung function and for case-finding in a resource-limited setting. The acceptance of this test depends on the awareness of its indications and the ability to interpret the results. No studies have assessed the knowledge of spirometry among Nigerian doctors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current knowledge, awareness and practice of spirometry among hospital-based Nigerian doctors.
We carried out a cross-sectional survey among 321 doctors working in Nigerian hospitals between March 2008 and June 2008. Information on knowledge, awareness, practice of and barriers to spirometry were obtained using a pre-tested, self-administered structured questionnaire and the data were then analysed.
Of the 321 doctors that participated, 108 (33.6%) reported that they have good knowledge of spirometry. One hundred and ninety-five (60.7%) were aware of the importance of spirometry in aiding the diagnosis of respiratory diseases; 213(66.4%) were aware of the importance of spirometry in determining the severity of diseases. Medical school was the most common source of knowledge on spirometry (64.5%). Eighty-one (25.2%) doctors reported having a spirometer in their hospitals. Doctors having access to a spirometer used it more frequently for aiding the diagnosis of COPD (40.7% vs.27.5%) and for monitoring of asthma (18.5% vs.11.3%) than those without access to a spirometer. The doctors working in University Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres (FMC) (22.4% vs. 4.5%) and those having access to a spirometer (40.7 vs.11.3%) were very confident of interpreting spirometry results compared to those working in District and General Hospitals and without access to a spirometer. Irrespective of access to a spirometer or the type of hospital they were employed in, doctors reported that unavailability of a spirometer was the greatest barrier to its use (62.5%) followed by lack of awareness about its usefulness (17.2%).
The knowledge and practice of spirometry were poor among hospital-based Nigerian doctors because of unavailability of spirometers in most hospitals. These findings have implications for further evaluation, planning and management of patient care in respiratory disease. Spirometers should be made available in all hospitals, and the knowledge of spirometry should be improved among doctors.
在资源有限的情况下，肺功能测定是一种具有成本效益的诊断工具，可用于评估肺部功能和病例发现。该测试的接受程度取决于对其适应症的认识和解释结果的能力。尚无研究评估尼日利亚医生对肺功能测定的了解程度。本研究的目的是评估尼日利亚医院医生对肺功能测定的现有知识、认识和实践情况。
我们于 2008 年 3 月至 6 月期间对在尼日利亚医院工作的 321 名医生进行了横断面调查。使用预先测试的自我管理结构问卷获得了关于肺功能测定的知识、认识、实践情况和障碍的信息，然后对数据进行了分析。
在 321 名参与的医生中，有 108 名（33.6%）报告称对肺功能测定有很好的了解。195 名（60.7%）医生意识到肺功能测定在辅助诊断呼吸疾病中的重要性；213 名（66.4%）医生意识到肺功能测定在确定疾病严重程度方面的重要性。医学院是获得肺功能测定知识的最常见来源（64.5%）。81 名（25.2%）医生报告称其医院有肺功能测定仪。有肺功能测定仪的医生更常将其用于辅助 COPD 的诊断（40.7% 比 27.5%）和哮喘的监测（18.5% 比 11.3%），而没有肺功能测定仪的医生则较少这样做。在大学教学医院和联邦医疗中心工作的医生（22.4% 比 4.5%）和有肺功能测定仪的医生（40.7% 比 11.3%）比在地区和综合医院工作且没有肺功能测定仪的医生更有信心解释肺功能测定结果。无论是否有肺功能测定仪或所在医院类型如何，医生们报告称，无法获得肺功能测定仪是其使用的最大障碍（62.5%），其次是缺乏对其有用性的认识（17.2%）。
由于大多数医院都没有肺功能测定仪，尼日利亚医院医生对肺功能测定的知识和实践都很差。这些发现对进一步评估、规划和管理呼吸疾病患者的护理具有重要意义。应在所有医院配备肺功能测定仪，并提高医生对肺功能测定的认识。
