Quality of Spirometry Performed by 13,599 Participants in the World Trade Center Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program

OBJECTIVE: To determine the ability of spirometry technicians in the World Trade Center Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program to meet American Thoracic Society spirometry quality goals. METHODS: Spirometry technicians were trained centrally and performed spirometry sessions at 6 sites in the greater New York City area. We reviewed and graded the spirometry results for quality every month. RESULTS: About 80% (range 70-88%) of the spirometry sessions met the American Thoracic Society spirometry goals. In general, the spirometry technicians with the most experience were more successful in meeting the quality goals. Participant characteristics explained very little of the quality variability. CONCLUSIONS: The overall spirometry quality in this multicenter program was very good. Efforts to improve spirometry quality should focus on the performance of individual spirometry technicians.