Perceptions and clinical practice around use of airway clearance devices in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background: Effective airway clearance is a critical component of COPD management. Airway clearance devices (ACDs) can assist this, but their effectiveness relies on consistent use in clinical practice.
Objectives: To identify awareness and clinical practice related to device use for people with COPD among respiratory therapists and physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia.
Design: A cross-sectional survey.
Setting: Primary and secondary care in Saudi Arabia
Material and Methods: An online survey was conducted among respiratory care and physiotherapy practitioners working in various healthcare settings across Saudi Arabia. The survey assessed familiarity with, attitudes towards, and utilisation of different types of ACDs in different clinical scenarios.
Results: A total of 423 healthcare practitioners were invited to complete the survey, which included 43% female participants, a median age range of 20-30 years, 89.4% Saudi citizens, 82.5% with a bachelor’s degree, 84.2% who are respiratory therapists, and 58.9% employed in governmental hospitals. Almost all participants were aware of at least one ACD, with Flutter devices (58%) being the most recognised, followed by Acapella (30%). 77.5% of participants reported always or usually using devices in patients with daily difficulty in clearing thick sputum, but there was less consistency where the sputum burden was not as severe. The Acapella device was preferred by 56%, with 18% preferring the Flutter. 85% of participants reported basing device use on clinical practice guidelines, with the GOLD guidelines being the most cited.
Conclusion: Awareness of sputum clearance devices is high among this group of healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia, but variation in practice highlights the need for further research.
Objectives: To identify awareness and clinical practice related to device use for people with COPD among respiratory therapists and physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia.
Design: A cross-sectional survey.
Setting: Primary and secondary care in Saudi Arabia
Material and Methods: An online survey was conducted among respiratory care and physiotherapy practitioners working in various healthcare settings across Saudi Arabia. The survey assessed familiarity with, attitudes towards, and utilisation of different types of ACDs in different clinical scenarios.
Results: A total of 423 healthcare practitioners were invited to complete the survey, which included 43% female participants, a median age range of 20-30 years, 89.4% Saudi citizens, 82.5% with a bachelor’s degree, 84.2% who are respiratory therapists, and 58.9% employed in governmental hospitals. Almost all participants were aware of at least one ACD, with Flutter devices (58%) being the most recognised, followed by Acapella (30%). 77.5% of participants reported always or usually using devices in patients with daily difficulty in clearing thick sputum, but there was less consistency where the sputum burden was not as severe. The Acapella device was preferred by 56%, with 18% preferring the Flutter. 85% of participants reported basing device use on clinical practice guidelines, with the GOLD guidelines being the most cited.
Conclusion: Awareness of sputum clearance devices is high among this group of healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia, but variation in practice highlights the need for further research.
Date Issued
2025-09-08
Date Acceptance
2025-08-18
Citation
Journal of Medical Rehabilitation Science, 2025, 2 (2), pp.82-93
ISSN
2961-421X
Publisher
King Abdulaziz University
Start Page
82
End Page
93
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Medical Rehabilitation Science
Volume
2
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© Alzahrani (2025). Open access. The Journal of Medical Rehabilitation Science is an Official Publication of King Abdulaziz University. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2025-09-08