Methodology of Seasonal Waves of Respiratory Disorders survey conducted at respiratory outpatient clinics across India.

Background: Respiratory disorders are important contributors to disease burden across the world. The aim is to assess the proportionate burden of types of respiratory diseases and their seasonal patterns in India we are performing a field study. The present report describes methodological aspects of a respiratory disease point prevalence survey from India.

Methods: A total of 4108 chest physicians were invited. Acceptance was received from 420 sites. Chest physicians were classified according to location of practice one as medical college, district government hospital, private hospital, and private clinics. Qualifications of practicing chest physicians were postgraduate in chest medicine, including Doctorate of Medicine (68.4%), diploma in chest medicine (22.1%), and Postgraduate in Medicine (9.5%). The study questionnaire was designed to record demographic data, comorbidities, risk factors, and respiratory conditions based on ICD-10.

Results: A total of 366 sites provided baseline data, and the response rate of recruitment of the study sites was 8.9% in the baseline phase. However, government and private medical colleges, as well as government and private hospitals across India, were part of recruitment of respiratory patients for this survey.

Conclusions: It is feasible to conduct a large multisite study to assess respiratory disease burden. Challenges include low response rate and logistic issues.