Perception and clinical practice regarding mucus clearance devices with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study of healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia

ObjectivesClearing secretions from the airway can be difficult for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Mucus clearance devices (MCDs) are an option in disease management to help with this, but healthcare provider awareness and knowledge about them as well as current clinical practice in Saudi Arabia are not known.DesignA cross-sectional online survey consisting of four themes; demographics, awareness, recommendations and clinical practice, for MCDs with COPD patients.SettingSaudi Arabia.Participants1188 healthcare providers including general practitioners, family physicians, pulmonologists, nursing staff, respiratory therapists and physiotherapists.Primary outcome measuresHealthcare providers' level of awareness about MCDs, and the identification of current clinical practices of COPD care in Saudi Arabia.Results1188 healthcare providers (44.4% female) completed the survey. Regarding devices, 54.2% were aware of the Flutter, 23.8% the Acapella and 5.4% the positive expiratory pressure mask. 40.7% of the respondents identified the Acapella, and 22.3% the Flutter as first choice for COPD management. 75% would usually or always consider their use in COPD patients reporting daily difficulty clearing mucus, whereas 55.9% would sometimes or usually consider the use of MCDs with COPD patients who produced and were able to clear mucus with cough. In clinical practice, 380 (32%) of the respondents would prescribe MCDs, 378 (31.8%) would give MCDs without prescriptions, 314 (26.4%) would not provide them at all and 116 (9.8%) would only advise patients about them.ConclusionHealthcare providers are aware of the existence of MCDs and their benefits for sputum clearance and believe that MCDs are beneficial for sputum clearance in some COPD patients.