Etiology, pathogenesis and diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Assessment of the knowledge of doctors and senior students. Results of the ASCO-III study

Introduction. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death in the world, being a global problem. In Russia, the prevalence of COPD is 15.3% in the general population and 21.8% among people with respiratory symptoms. Nevertheless, this disease is quite successfully treatable and controllable.

Aim. To determine the level of basic knowledge among therapeutic profile physicians and senior medical students regarding the issues of etiopathogenesis and diagnosis of COPD.

Materials and methods. The ASCO-III study was conducted in 2019–2023 using an anonymous questionnaire, 478 therapeutic doctors from 11 centers and 401 students from 7 centers participated in it. An original questionnaire based on current clinical recommendations was used to conduct the ASCO-III study.

Results. The study revealed an insufficient level of knowledge among doctors and students regarding the etiology, pathogenesis, and diagnosis of COPD. In the section on “Etiopathogenesis and Diagnostics,” the level of correct answers (LCA) among doctors was 73.5%, increasing to 82% when including questions about vaccination. For students, the LCA was 68% and 73.6%, respectively. Significant differences were observed between the overall populations of doctors and students concerning the final LCA (p < 0.001). The best results were noted in questions about risk factors for COPD, with 88.0% of doctors and 88.8% of students providing correct answers. Additionally, in questions regarding the signs that may suggest this disease, the correct answer rates were 89.9% for doctors and 84.9% for students. Conversely, the lowest scores were recorded for questions about the CAT and mMRC scales, with incorrect responses from 69.3% of doctors and 72.8% of students. Furthermore, in the question assessing the importance of vaccination as a means of controlling COPD, 45.5% of doctors and 61.6% of students provided incorrect answers.

Conclusions. During the analysis of the results of the study, an insufficient level of basic knowledge of respondents on COPD was revealed, which, according to the authors, indicates the need for additional educational activities among practicing doctors and students.