Awareness and barriers of adherence to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease guidelines among respiratory therapists.

BACKGROUND

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) significantly contributes to global morbidity and mortality. Despite increasing COPD prevalence in Saudi Arabia, knowledge of and barriers to adherence to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines among respiratory therapists (RTs) remain limited. This study assessed RT awareness and barriers to adherence to the updated 2023 GOLD guidelines for COPD management in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A modified cross-sectional online survey (snowball sampling) was distributed via social media from December 2023 to March 2024. The questionnaire covered eight domains: six assessing knowledge of COPD (overview, diagnosis, stable COPD therapy, pharmacological and nonpharmacological management of COPD and exacerbations, and COPD prevention and comorbidity), one on barriers to guideline adherence, and one on attitudes toward guidelines. A knowledge score (out of 39) was calculated. Descriptive statistics, tests for group differences, and regression analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

Three hundred and twenty-six RTs (65.6% of males) participated. The average knowledge score was 18.9 ± 5.75 out of 39 (49.9% correct answers), indicating low COPD knowledge. Higher scores were associated with more COPD cases and bedside RT roles. While 53.1% of RTs expressed positive attitudes toward guideline utilization, only 16.9% of RTs reported recent use and 12.9% reported consistent use over the past 6 months. Key barriers included limited time for professional development (40.8%) and inadequate educational resources (37.7%).

CONCLUSION

This study reveals a knowledge gap and suboptimal COPD guidelines adherence among RTs in Saudi Arabia. Knowledge level correlated with COPD cases and RT role. Targeted interventions are needed to improve guideline adherence and COPD care.