• Kamila Fernanda Staszko, Carla Lincho, Vivian da Cas Engelke, Nádia Spada Fiori, Karina Cirino Silva, Elisa Iribarren Nunes, and Linjie Zhang.
• Federal University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
• J Bras Pneumol. 2006 Sep 1;32(5):400-4.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the appropriateness of the use of auscultation terminology in Brazilian respiratory disease-related medical journals published between January of 1980 and December of 2003.MethodsA descriptive study was conducted, evaluating three medical journals: the Jornal de Pneumologia (Journal of Pulmonology), Jornal de Pediatria (Journal of Pediatrics) and Revista Brasileira de Medicina (Brazilian Journal of Medicine). Original articles and case reports about respiratory diseases were selected, and auscultation terminology was extracted from these articles. The appropriateness of terms used to describe adventitious sounds was assessed.ResultsWe found that the inappropriate use of terms was more frequent when intermittent sounds were described than when continuous sounds were described (87.7% versus 44.0%; p = 0.0000). No significant difference was observed between the inappropriate use of terms by pulmonologists and that observed for other specialists (56.5% versus 62.0%; p = 0.26). In addition, there were no significant differences among the various regions of the country or between the periods prior to and after the dissemination of international nomenclature.ConclusionInappropriate use of pulmonary auscultation terms describing adventitious sounds remains common and widespread in Brazilian medical publications.

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