[Possibilities of improving the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive pulmonary diseases in the Northern Administrative District of Moscow].

The quality of the diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases was assessed in the polyclinics of the Northern Administrative District of Moscow by 2 methods: (1) selective examination of 960 case histories of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and (2) questionnaire survey and spirometry of 2132 patients aged 35 to 75 years who have visited a polyclinic for no respiratory diseases. Random check of the case histories revealed a large number of diagnostic and medical errors suggesting the undertraining of therapists in pulmonology. The performed cycles of educational programs could considerably reduce the number of the errors found on recheck. Questionnaire survey and spirometry could increase the number of diagnosed cases of chronic lung diseases by 10 times.