Survey on the Current Status of COPD Diagnosis and Management Capabilities Among Primary Care Physicians in Pudong New Area, Shanghai

Objective: To assess chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-related clinical competency, confidence, and management practices among general practitioners (GPs) in Pudong community health centers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Stratified random sampling across four regional strata yielded 457 valid responses (99.34% response rate). Results: While 56.02% of GPs managed 11– 30 COPD patients monthly, 96.06% reported COPD constituted < 30% of their caseload. Clinical engagement was suboptimal: 80.74% performed spirometry ≤ 10 times annually, and 45.73% referred cough/dyspnea patients directly to specialists. Significant competency gaps were identified in inhaled pharmacotherapy, classification, CAT/mMRC usage, spirometry interpretation, and inhaler instruction. Confidence in management was low (mean score: 2.85/5). Regression analysis revealed that proficiency correlated with standardized residency training, COPD-specific continuing medical education (CME) attendance, and physician age. Both competency and confidence levels correlated positively with the frequency of management practices. Conclusion: GPs in Pudong exhibit inadequate COPD knowledge depth, poor clinical application skills, and low decision-making confidence. These findings highlight the need for training programs integrating theoretical instruction with hands-on practice to support improvements in competency and promote standardized community-based COPD management.