Abstract: Background: COPD has very significant impacts patients through reduced lung function and reduced quality of life (QoL). The reduction in lung function is progressive and leads to exercise intolerance, a consequent reduction in activity as patients avoid the discomfort of breathing difficulties, and continued physical decline
Objective: aim to addresses the issues surrounding the diagnosis and misdiagnosis of COPD, their consequences, and how COPD can be better managed and diagnosed within primary care.
Methodology: We conducted a systematic review study by searching with no date limitations for all relevant articles using PubMed, a bibliographic database providing access to citations for biomedical articles from MEDLINE through July 2016, and life science journals. We used relevant MeSH headings and individual key words and/or phrases were used to search all available search fields: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD in association with the following search terms: diagnosis, differential diagnosis, diagnostic techniques, family practice, and primary care. Primary outcome data were extracted from each included paper using a prospectively designed data extraction tool.
Conclusion: The depth of the pessimism about the outcome of COPD treatment was disappointing. Primary care physicians often report cases of patients diagnosed with COPD whom the physician was unable to “help” except with terminal illness planning.
Keywords: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Title: Systematic Review of Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Family Practice
Author: Talal Khalid O Alafif, Naif Misfer J Alzhrany, Atif Mohammed A Hakami, Sahar Surour B Hussien
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
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