P7‐45: Non‐pulmonary medicine specialists' knowledge, attitude and practice in the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a Tertiary Hospital in Manila, Philippines

Background: COPD is currently the 4th leading cause of mortality in the world. In the Philippines, there is a degree of under-diagnosis of the disease and this has become one of the driving forces of medical organizations to increase awareness about COPD. Possible reasons for its under-diagnosis are physician's lack of knowledge, poor attitude and practice regarding screening and diagnosis of populations at risk. This study aims to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of non-pulmonary medical specialists in the diagnosis of COPD. Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional online questionnaire-based study involving 82 non-pulmonary medical specialists at University of Santo Tomas Hospital. Results: Sixty-four (78.05%) are aware of the GOLD guideline. Forty-five (54.88%) know how to interpret spirometry result and nearly half (45.12%) do not. Most of the respondents (48.78%) correctly answered the spirometry parameter cut-off value. Answers to questions on attitude showed that less than half are confident in utilizing GOLD but majority consider spirometry essential in diagnosing COPD. Thirty-one (37.80%) do not request for spirometry among COPD suspects because of the cost. Only 11/82 (13.41%) always implement the GOLD recommendations and only 8 (9.76%) always request for spirometry for COPD patients. Conclusion: Awareness about the guidelines and recognition of the importance of spirometry are sufficient, however, its implementation and accurate diagnostic interpretation are considerably lacking. Certain knowledge gaps were recognized, but most of the respondents positively responded by expressing their willingness to learn spirometry. Barriers to adhering to COPD guidelines include cost of spirometry and the referral system to specialists.