SPIROMETRY

Links to essential components of a quality spirometry program

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) is an independent, non-profit educational and scientific organization with a goal to reduce morbidity and mortality from respiratory disorders and life-threatening acute illnesses. The ATS is a world leader in the fight against respiratory diseases and provides statements, guidelines, and reports which contain state-of-the art information for the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases. The ATS statements and guidelines which relate to spirometry testing and are available on the ATS website under the “Pulmonary Function and Exercise Testing” category.

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) is an international society of occupational physicians that provides leadership to promote optimal health and safety of workers, workplaces, and environments through educating health professionals and the public, stimulating research, and enhancing the quality of practice.   The ACOEM's Occupational and Environmental Lung Disorder Committee’s Statement aims to help practitioners more effectively perform and use results from spirometry testing to assess employee respiratory health.

Spirometry test procedures and equipment problems can negatively impact occupational respiratory surveillance programs. A presentation, given at a NIOSH Medical Surveillance Workshop in 2001, outlines some of these problems using graphic examples and their associated altered test results.