Lay workers in low- and middle-income countries can feasibly administer simple testing and screening instruments to help diagnose lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to not only treat them early but also to create much needed awareness about the disease.  A recent study conducted by Trishul Siddharthan, assistant professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, found that field workers could be trained to conduct assessments with screening instruments and administer bronchodilator spirometry for comparison. The study, published in JAMA, was focused on Nepal, Peru and Uganda where mortality rate due to COPD is extremely high. Dr Siddharthan said that he conducted a population-based study of more than 10,700 adults in these 3 countries with varying degrees of urbanization, economic development and COPD risk and found that there is serious lack of awareness about the disease which needs to be resisted through sensitization primarily. Many of these patients typically go to doctors with end-stage disease when there are hardly any options to treat. The research findings have proved that training them to use simple instruments to screen their problems early can help bring the much needed change, the report said.