Implications of the diagnostic criteria of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in clinical practice: Analysis from the Australian Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Registry.

Background And Objective: Current guidelines for the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) provide specific criteria for diagnosis in the setting of multidisciplinary discussion (MDD). We evaluate the utility and reproducibility of these diagnostic guidelines, using clinical data from the Australian IPF Registry.

Methods: All patients enrolled in the registry undergo a diagnostic review whereby international IPF guidelines are applied via a registry MDD.

Clinical impact of the interstitial lung disease multidisciplinary service.

Background And Objective: Multidisciplinary discussions (MDDs) have been shown to improve diagnostic accuracy in interstitial lung disease (ILD) diagnosis. However, their clinical impact on patient care has never been clearly demonstrated. We describe the effect that an ILD multidisciplinary service has upon the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected ILD.