For some time, Asthma WA has been working with Respiratory Specialists and Scientists across WA to close the in gaps in spirometry training for health professionals and deliver quality lung function tests.
Asthma WA’s Senior Respiratory Technician, Max and Clinical Nurse Educator Kate, finished 2022 with a trip to the Southwest to deliver a Spirometry Training Workshop to nine health professionals from Bunbury Hospital.
Spirometry is the most widely available test for assessing respiratory function and is vital in the identification and management of people living with respiratory disorders such as asthma and COPD. Although spirometry appears to be easy to perform, the competence and knowledge of the operator and the accuracy of the spirometer itself are critical for spirometry to have any clinical usefulness. Spirometry that is poorly performed or using equipment that is inaccurate can result in serious medical consequences, such as misdiagnosis and mismanagement.
In collaboration with Spirometry Learning, Asthma WA has developed a training programme that meets evidence-based standards set by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (ANZRS). The training program involves blended learning of practical and online. Spirometry Learning’s curriculum and online learning modules provide a high standard platform and learning experience for health professionals wanting to learn how to get the best spirometry results from their patients. https://www.spirometrylearning.com.au/moodle/