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Recognising the family physician in asthma and COPD guidelines: a necessary step for effective primary care implementation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the most prevalent chronic respiratory conditions globally, with management predominantly occurring in primary care settings. International guidelines from the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) have been instrumental in standardising care; however, these documents consistently use generic terminology such as "primary care physician" or "healthcare provider" without explicitly recognising the family physician as a distinct medical specialty. This omission creates a conceptual gap that may undermine guideline ownership, implementation fidelity, and coordinated care pathways-particularly in low- and middle-income countries where family physicians constitute the backbone of chronic respiratory disease management. This letter argues that explicit recognition of family physicians in future GINA and GOLD updates, alongside inclusion of family medicine representatives in guideline development committees and creation of implementation toolkits for primary care settings, would strengthen guideline relevance, enhance primary care engagement, and ultimately improve respiratory health outcomes worldwide.

Source: npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine

DOI: 10.1038/s41533-026-00485-7

Author: Juan Sebastián Therán León

Institutions: Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Universidad De Santander

Language: English

Topic: Clinical practice guidelines implementation

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,390