Accuracy and precision of desktop spirometers in general practices.

Background: Spirometry has become an essential tool for general practices to diagnose and monitor chronic airways diseases, but very little is known about the performance of the spirometry equipment that is being used in general practice settings. The use of invalid spirometry equipment may have consequences on disease diagnosis and management of patients.

Objectives: To establish the accuracy and precision of desktop spirometers that are routinely used in general practices.

Quality of routine spirometry tests in Dutch general practices.

Background: Spirometry is an indispensable tool for diagnosis and monitoring of chronic airways disease in primary care.

Aim: To establish the quality of routine spirometry tests in general practice, and explore associations between test quality and patient characteristics.

Design Of Study: Analysis of routine spirometry test records.

Spirometry expert support in family practice: a cluster-randomised trial.

Aim: To assess the impact of two modes of spirometry expert support on Family physicians' (FPs') diagnoses and planned management in patients with apparent respiratory disease.

Method: A cluster-randomised trial was performed with family practices as the unit of randomisation. FPs from 44 family practices recorded their diagnosis and planned management before and after spirometry for 868 patients.

Combining vocational and research training.

Background: The gap between research and clinical practice can be bridged by strengthening the position of the clinician-researcher with appropriate research training and protected time for research.

Methods: A Dutch program combines vocational training in family medicine with research training. This article describes the scientific output of registrars following this combined program.

General practitioners' needs for ongoing support for the interpretation of spirometry tests.

Background: Although one out of three general practitioners (GPs) carries out spirometry, the diagnostic interpretation of spirometric test results appears to be a common barrier for GPs towards its routine application.

Methods: Multivariate cross-sectional analysis of a questionnaire survey among 137 GPs who participated in a spirometry evaluation programme in the Netherlands. We identified characteristics of GPs and their practice settings associated with GPs' need for ongoing support for spirometry interpretation.

Variation in spirometry utilization between trained general practitioners in practices equipped with a spirometer.

Objective: To explore spirometry utilization among general practitioners and identify practitioner and practice-related factors associated with spirometry utilization.

Design: Multivariate multilevel cross-sectional analysis of a questionnaire survey.

Setting: Some 61 general practices involved in a spirometry evaluation programme in the Netherlands.

Undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children with syndromal craniofacial synostosis.

Children with syndromal craniofacial synostosis have a high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Early diagnosis and treatment can relieve symptoms and morbidity. Little is known about the development and natural history of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome through life.

Evaluation of a new device for home cardiorespiratory recording in children.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of using a new home cardiorespiratory recording device (HCRD) in children.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Patients: Consecutive children scheduled for adenotonsillectomy to treat habitual snoring and/or apneas at otorhinolaryngology clinics in 2 academic and 7 general hospitals.

Consistency of the preoperative and intraoperative diagnosis of benign vocal fold lesions.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the preoperative and intraoperative diagnosis of benign vocal fold lesions for consistency. The diagnosis was made in 221 consecutive patients with benign vocal fold lesions for which a microlaryngoscopy was carried out in a general ENT-clinic. The preoperative diagnosis was obtained by both white halogen and stroboscopic light.