This NHSE funded course is designed for healthcare professionals who are involved in the reporting of spirometry in adults (age 16 plus), who have not undertaken formal training or assessment in spirometry.
This course is appropriate for registered healthcare professionals responsible for diagnosing or ongoing care of patients with respiratory disease, such as Practice nurses; Nurse practitioners; Paramedics; Pharmacists and Physiotherapists (with airway disease qualifications) and General Practitioners.
The course is aligned to the ARTP standards for provision of spirometry training and is delivered face-to-face over one day. Basic computer skills and the ability to understand and perform basic mathematical operations (multiplication, division, decimals and percentages) are an essential requirement. Those wishing to consider ARTP assessment will be guided to the application process.
Course Content
- One day face-to-face training programme to provide knowledge and practical skills in spirometry
- Guidance to the ARTP assessment of competence processes
Learning Outcomes
- Revision of basic anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of the respiratory system
- Definitions of common spirometric values and reference values
- Quality controls
- Pre-test considerations and contraindications to testing
- Accurate reporting and recording of the spirometric indices and graphical data for an appropriately trained clinician, responsible for placing the results in clinical context, to use
- Clinical correlation of the results within scope of practice
Programme
Spirometry is an essential lung function investigation used as part of the assessment and diagnosis of a range of lung diseases. To be of clinical value, diagnostic spirometry must be quality assured and only performed by health care professionals who are assessed as competent, able to evidence they have achieved the standards established by the Association of Respiratory Technicians and Physiologists (ARTP).