Research for the Development of an Integrated Medical System for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Based on an Analysis of Questionnaire Survey in Doctor and Patient Groups

Objective: In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted for doctors and patients to obtain basic data necessary for the development of an integrated medical system for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).Methods: Questionnaires were developed separately for doctors and patients through an expert group meeting. The survey subjects were recruited online and offline, and finally, responses from 231 doctors and 59 patients were used for statistical analysis.Results: The most important parts in the treatment of IPF for both doctors and patients were the “improvement of respiratory symptoms,” “improvement of quality of life,” and “prevention of disease progression.” Antifibrotic agents were prescribed at a high rate, and 100% of the specialists in Western medicine (WM) and 45.8% of patients reported experiencing side effects. As for the additional payment costs that patients considered as affordable for an integrated medical system, “under 50,000 won (about 38$)” was reported the most in both doctor and patient groups. With regard to the reasons for their reluctance to recommend an integrated medical system for IPF, specialists in WM responded highly to “uncertain evidence for treatment effectiveness.” Regarding complementary and alternative medicine therapies that can be beneficial in patients with IPF, “lifestyle management,” “diet management,” “herb,” “relaxation therapy,” and “psychotherapy” were ranked high in both doctor and patient groups.Conclusions: In this study, a questionnaire survey on IPF was conducted to review actual treatment status, analyze shortcomings, and identify considerations for the development of an integrated medical system for IPF in the future.