What did the research discover?
This study evaluated the effectiveness of the CAPTURE screening tool in identifying undiagnosed, clinically significant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care settings. The CAPTURE tool consists of five questions about symptoms and exposure, along with a lung function test for some patients.
Researchers analyzed data from 4,325 adults aged 45 to 80 who did not have a prior COPD diagnosis. These participants were recruited from primary care clinics across the U.S. between 2018 and 2022. To determine if the CAPTURE tool accurately identified people with COPD, researchers compared the tool’s results to spirometry, a standard lung function test.
The study found that CAPTURE correctly identified 48.2% of patients with moderate-to-severe COPD (sensitivity) and correctly ruled out 88.6% of patients who did not have significant COPD (specificity). This means that while CAPTURE was good at identifying people who do not have COPD, it missed more than half of those who actually had the disease. The findings suggest that CAPTURE may not be the most effective tool for detecting undiagnosed COPD in primary care.
How can I apply this information?
The results indicate that while CAPTURE has some ability to detect undiagnosed COPD, it is not highly sensitive, meaning many people with the condition may not be diagnosed. If you have symptoms such as frequent shortness of breath, chronic cough, or fatigue with activity, you should discuss them with your doctor. A more thorough evaluation, including spirometry, may be necessary to confirm a diagnosis.
For healthcare providers, this study highlights the need to refine COPD screening methods in primary care. CAPTURE may be useful in identifying some at-risk individuals but should not replace more comprehensive assessments. Future research is needed to improve screening tools and determine the best approach for diagnosing COPD early, when treatment can be most effective.
Source:
Martinez FJ, Han MK, Lopez C, Murray S, Mannino D, Anderson S, Brown R, Dolor R, Elder N, Joo M, Khan I. Discriminative accuracy of the CAPTURE tool for identifying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in US primary care settings. Jama. 2023 Feb 14;329(6):490-501. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9929696/
