The Reliability and Validity of a Portable Hand-held Spirometer for the Measurement of Various Lung Functions in Healthy Adults

Objective: This study aims to assess the reliability and validity of the new hand-held spirometer as a potential substitute for traditional pulmonary function testing (PFT) devices.Design: Cross-sectional study.Methods: In this study, thirty healthy adults underwent spirometry using both the new hand-held spirometer and the MIR spirometer, which is a standard PFT device.Parameters including peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ), and forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured and analyzed for validity and reliability.Inter-rater reliability and validity were evaluated through 95% limits of agreement (LOA) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).Statistical analyses, including the Bland-Altman plots and the ICC, were utilized to assess agreement between the two devices.Results: The new hand-held spirometer exhibited a good agreement with intra-class coefficient (ICC [2,1]) ranging 0.762 to 0.956 and 95% LOA of 1.94 to 1.80 when compared with MIR.The test-retest reliability of the hand-held spirometer analyzed using -ICC [2,1] demonstrated a good level of consistency (ICC [2,1] =0.849-0.934). Conclusions:In conclusion, the study aimed to assess the potential of the new hand-held spirometer as a viable alternative to traditional PFT devices, with a specific focus on its reliability and validity in spirometric measurements.The new hand-held spirometer exhibited good test-retest reliability across all measured variables, suggesting its potential as a valid and reliable tool for simultaneous PFT measurements.