Case Finding for COPD in Nottingham and District (C FIND COPD). A Pilot Study of Uptake, Acceptability and Diagnostic Yield in a One-Stop Assessment Following Lung Cancer Screening
4 affiliations
- 1Centre for Respiratory Research, Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- 2NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, UK
- 3Respiratory Medicine, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
- 4Lifespan and Population Health, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Abstract
Background: Several lung cancer screening (LCS) programmes have identified a high prevalence of people with new (often pre-bronchodilator) airflow obstruction, but demonstrable translation into confirmed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosis is limited. We evaluated a community-based, one-stop, post-bronchodilator case-finding and initial management pathway following LCS.
Methods: Participants undergoing low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) as part of a LCS programme who reported respiratory symptoms were invited to attend a community-based assessment. The pathway included post-bronchodilator spirometry, clinical review and initial management delivered within a single encounter. The primary outcomes were uptake and new clinical diagnosis of COPD. Secondary outcomes included symptom burden, relationship to CT findings, socioeconomic variation and participant-reported experience.
Results: Of 2860 invitation letters issues, 529 (18.5%) invitees participated; a further 33 participants self-presented. Of 562 participants overall, 486 completed spirometry, including 407 without a prior COPD diagnosis. Of these, 100 (25%) participants received a new clinical diagnosis of COPD, mainly with mild-to-moderate airflow obstruction. Among participants with a COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score ≥10, Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea score ≥2, or clinician-defined respiratory symptoms, 35%, 34%, and 38%, respectively, had airflow obstruction. Moderate-to-severe CT emphysema was highly specific but poorly sensitive for airflow obstruction. We detected no significant difference in new COPD diagnosis across deprivation quintiles. Participant-reported experience was very positive.
Conclusion: A community-based, one-stop pathway following LCS can identify clinically meaningful COPD diagnosis in symptomatic individuals. This single encounter approach addresses a key gap in current LCS-linked pathways, maximising opportunities for case finding and supporting accessible, patient-centred diagnostic services.
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BibTeX
@article{burzic2026case,
title = {{Case Finding for COPD in Nottingham and District (C FIND COPD). A Pilot Study of Uptake, Acceptability and Diagnostic Yield in a One-Stop Assessment Following Lung Cancer Screening}},
author = {Amna Burzic and Malik Hamrouni and Joanne Porte and Ayushman Gupta and Rachael L Murray and Tricia M McKeever and Emma O’Dowd and Charlotte E Bolton},
journal = {International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/copd.s634297},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2147/copd.s634297},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Case Finding for COPD in Nottingham and District (C FIND COPD). A Pilot Study of Uptake, Acceptability and Diagnostic Yield in a One-Stop Assessment Following Lung Cancer Screening
AU - Amna Burzic
AU - Malik Hamrouni
AU - Joanne Porte
AU - Ayushman Gupta
AU - Rachael L Murray
AU - Tricia M McKeever
AU - Emma O’Dowd
AU - Charlotte E Bolton
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/31
JO - International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
DO - 10.2147/copd.s634297
UR - https://doi.org/10.2147/copd.s634297
AB - Background: Several lung cancer screening (LCS) programmes have identified a high prevalence of people with new (often pre-bronchodilator) airflow obstruction, but demonstrable translation into confirmed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosis is limited. We evaluated a community-based, one-stop, post-bronchodilator case-finding and initial management pathway following LCS. Methods: Participants undergoing low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) as part of a LCS programme who reported respiratory symptoms were invited to attend a community-based assessment. The pathway included post-bronchodilator spirometry, clinical review and initial management delivered within a single encounter. The primary outcomes were uptake and new clinical diagnosis of COPD. Secondary outcomes included symptom burden, relationship to CT findings, socioeconomic variation and participant-reported experience. Results: Of 2860 invitation letters issues, 529 (18.5%) invitees participated; a further 33 participants self-presented. Of 562 participants overall, 486 completed spirometry, including 407 without a prior COPD diagnosis. Of these, 100 (25%) participants received a new clinical diagnosis of COPD, mainly with mild-to-moderate airflow obstruction. Among participants with a COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score ≥10, Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea score ≥2, or clinician-defined respiratory symptoms, 35%, 34%, and 38%, respectively, had airflow obstruction. Moderate-to-severe CT emphysema was highly specific but poorly sensitive for airflow obstruction. We detected no significant difference in new COPD diagnosis across deprivation quintiles. Participant-reported experience was very positive. Conclusion: A community-based, one-stop pathway following LCS can identify clinically meaningful COPD diagnosis in symptomatic individuals. This single encounter approach addresses a key gap in current LCS-linked pathways, maximising opportunities for case finding and supporting accessible, patient-centred diagnostic services.
SN - 1176-9106
SN - 1178-2005
ER -