@article{Kiatchotchai_Saiphoklang_2023, title={Chest Specialists versus Non-Specialists following International COPD Recommendations in Real-World Clinical Practice}, volume={23}, url={https://asianmedjam.com/index.php/amjam/article/view/1361}, abstractNote={<p><strong>Introduction:</strong> Real-world clinical practice for management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) differs from international guidelines by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease and this affects clinical outcomes.</p> <p><strong>Objectives:</strong> To determine rates of following the guidelines and the impact on the clinical outcomes in COPD patients.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> A prospective study was conducted in 2 outpatient clinics at a University Hospital in Thailand. Demographics and clinical data were collected. Chest specialist (CS) and non-CS groups were compared in clinical data.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> One hundred forty-five patients (87.6% male) were included. Of these, 81 (55.9%) were followed up at a CS outpatient department. The overall prevalence of COPD management following guidelines was 29.0% (27.2% in the CS group and 31.3% in the non-CS group, P=0.590). Compared to the non-CS group, the CS group had higher proportions of chronic kidney disease (21.0% vs 7.8%, P=0.028), coronary heart disease (35.8% vs 15.6%, P=0.007), and modified Medical Research Council scores (1.9±1.1 vs 1.5±1.2, P=0.038). The CS group also had higher rates of vaccinations and pulse oximetry measurement than the non-CS group. There were no differences in pulmonary functions or exacerbation and hospitalization rates between the two groups.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> One-third of patients were managed following the COPD guidelines in real-world practice. The rates of following the guidelines did not significantly differ between the CS and the non-CS groups. This finding may explain the similar clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, a large prospective study is required to compare clinical outcomes between the two groups.</p>}, number={3}, journal={Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine}, author={Kiatchotchai, Tinn and Saiphoklang, Narongkorn}, year={2023}, month={Dec.}, pages={9–17} }