Clearing the Air on Asthma and COPD: When Undertesting Leads to Overdiagnosis

Asthma and COPD are among the most common chronic diseases in Canada. People who are diagnosed with asthma or COPD are usually prescribed inhalers (also known as puffers), but studies show that more than 30% of individuals who carry these disease labels do not actually have the condition when tested with a formal pulmonary function test.

What are the barriers to pulmonary function testing? And how might clinicians and patients be supported to avoid over-diagnosis and over-treatment? We’ll discuss these questions and more on June’s Choosing Wisely Talks taking place June 8 at 12 p.m. ET.