Cantonal Hospital Baselland, University Clinic of Medicine and Medical Faculty University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme AG, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Curr Med Res Opin. 2022 Aug;38(8):1459-1466. doi: 10.1080/03007995.2022.2057154. Epub 2022 Apr 15.
Cough is one of the most common health issues for which medical attention is sought. A chronic cough (CC) is understood as a cough that lasts longer than 8 weeks. CC encompasses two subsets referred to as refractory chronic cough (RCC) and unexplained chronic cough (UCC). This study aims to assess the current understanding and perceptions of a RCC and UCC, from a physician's perspective in Switzerland and how this understanding and practical work leads to the relevant diagnosis and treatment.
In October 2020, 549 GPs and 338 pulmonologists in Switzerland, received an invite to participate in the online-based quantitative survey. Data collection was carried out through a 25-minute online survey. The questionnaire was based on structured questions, and conducted on a randomized sample of doctors (general practitioners -GPs and pulmonologists) in the German- and French-speaking part of Switzerland.
Overall, 33 pulmonologists and 52 GPs participated in the online survey. Only 39% of GPs, but 73% of pulmonologists, defined chronic cough as a cough lasting 8 weeks or longer. The majority of physicians (72%), especially pulmonologists (88%), perceived a clinical gap regarding the treatment of persistent cough. 74% of the sampled physicians agreed that persistent cough is a high burden of disease for patients. Based on the answers, the annual number of new patients with RCC and UCC in Switzerland is estimated at 9322 patients.
Results of this study have highlighted differences in the terminology used to describe CC (RCC and UCC), in the diagnostic tests used and, in the treatments used between GPs and pulmonologists. These findings suggest the need to align the current language regarding the disease to facilitate a standardized approach for diagnosis and treatment and towards improving patient care and reduce burden of disease for CC (RCC and UCC) patients.
咳嗽是寻求医疗关注的最常见健康问题之一。慢性咳嗽（CC）被理解为持续时间超过 8 周的咳嗽。CC 包括两个亚组，称为难治性慢性咳嗽（RCC）和不明原因的慢性咳嗽（UCC）。本研究旨在评估瑞士医生对 RCC 和 UCC 的当前理解和看法，以及这种理解和实际工作如何导致相关诊断和治疗。
2020 年 10 月，瑞士的 549 名全科医生和 338 名肺科医生收到了参与在线定量调查的邀请。通过 25 分钟的在线调查进行数据收集。问卷基于结构化问题，并对瑞士德语和法语区的医生（全科医生-GPs 和肺科医生）进行随机抽样。
共有 33 名肺科医生和 52 名全科医生参与了在线调查。只有 39%的全科医生，但 73%的肺科医生，将慢性咳嗽定义为持续 8 周或更长时间的咳嗽。大多数医生（72%），尤其是肺科医生（88%），认为持续性咳嗽在治疗方面存在临床差距。74%的被抽样医生同意持续性咳嗽是患者疾病的高负担。根据答案，瑞士每年新出现 RCC 和 UCC 的患者人数估计为 9322 人。
这项研究的结果强调了全科医生和肺科医生之间在描述 CC（RCC 和 UCC）时使用的术语、用于诊断的测试以及用于治疗的测试方面存在差异。这些发现表明需要调整当前关于该疾病的语言，以促进标准化的诊断和治疗方法，并改善患者的护理，减轻 CC（RCC 和 UCC）患者的疾病负担。
