Spirometry is a component of the diagnosis and management of respiratory conditions in primary care and should ideally be performed via referral to a primary care network respiratory diagnostic service or community diagnostics centre (CDC) with expertise in the diagnosis of the most common respiratory conditions and of less common diagnoses. Where limited resources create a challenge for testing everyone with a new suspected diagnosis of asthma, those with an intermediate probability should be prioritised for spirometry and also FENO where available.
This update from PCRU guest editor and PCRS Executive Chair, Katherine Hickman, gives an overview of the latest edition of the update. Katherine says: "I hope this edition inspires confidence in managing COPD, addressing COVID-19 concerns, and ultimately reflecting on the loss of Dr Iain Small who really was one in a million. I hope you are able to take some time off over the Christmas break, recharge, and come back in the New Year invigorated and impassioned to continue our mission of supporting those with respiratory disease."
Date for review: 12th October 2025
Date for review: 26th September 2025
The one-minute sit to stand test protocol is a practical, reliable, valid tool for measuring exercise capacity, particularly where space and time are limited
In this article we review the major changes in the 2023 GOLD report as they impact on the initial and ongoing pharmacological management of COPD and consider the implications for primary care in the UK. Dr Fiona Mosgrove is a GP in Aberdeen and Clinical Lead for the Grampian Respiratory Improvement Programme. Dr Tracey Lonergan is the Policy Coordinator for the Primary Care Respiratory Society and Medical Writer with a special interest in respiratory disease.
The high rate of empirical antibiotic use for the treatment of suspected respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and COPD exacerbations remains a cause for concern in the face of increasing antibiotic resistance.