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This is a document produced by a joint ATS-ERS Task Force on lung function testing to provide new combined standards for Spirometry. It walks the reader through all the important elements of the test, from instrument to procedure quality control. One of the major steps forward is the recommendation that a standardised computer output format should be available on all instruments. This does not require equipment manufacturers to store their data in a specific format, but it does require them to provide a means of delivering the data in a standard way. This means that users won't be tied to a specific manufacturer in order to maintain their database structure. It also means that it will be relatively easy to write software to move spirometric data into healthcare databases where they can be used to monitor and guide therapy for patients with lung diseases. Such data can also be used for clinical research, including research into the efficacy of using pulmonary function tests in managing patients. Furthermore, International Organization for Standardization metrology terminology (www.iso.org) has been adopted.
Miller et al. (2005) studied this question.