Opportunity to comment on the “Priorities for respiratory research from a primary care perspective”

The International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) has published a paper which describes priorities for respiratory research from a primary care perspective. It describes the evidence primary care clinicians want to enable them to improve the value of guidelines to their practice and to improve their care for patients with respiratory problems.

112 community-based physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals from 27 high-, middle- and low-income countries were asked what their research priorities were. These were reviewed by an expert board of academics to ensure they represented gaps in current research and were then prioritised by the primary care community.

IPCRG would like to know what patient organisations and people living with respiratory problems think about the priorities and invite feedback via the Comment or Matters Arising function of the journal that the paper is published in or on social media.

Main findings in the paper

• Tuberculosis and pneumonia were mentioned most (35%) and were also of highest concern (30%) – the study was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Asthma and COPD were the most frequently mentioned single respiratory diseases (17% and 15%) and the single diseases of most concern (26% and 25%).
• The most frequent specific questions were on COPD management and asthma self-management.

The highest ranked questions are:

• What is the best way to manage chronic/persistent cough in primary care?
• What are the best ways to monitor asthma in primary care?
• What steps could be taken to prevent exacerbations and progression of asthma?
• How can brief advice be used more effectively to increase motivation to quit tobacco, and what elements are most efficient for a busy primary care practitioner?
• How should we best manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients with cardiovascular diseases, arrhythmias, and uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure)?

IPCRG believes that concerted efforts to fund and deliver research that answers these questions will make a significant difference to the lives of people living with respiratory problems. They welcome your support, feedback and questions.

Prioritising primary care respiratory research needs: results from the 2020 International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) global e-Delphi exercise

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41533-021-00266-4