Spirometry training

Comprehensive accredited training

The National Asthma Council Australia (NAC) offers range of asthma and respiratory education workshops for health professionals, including spirometry training for general practitioners and primary health care nurses.

A face-to-face Spirometry Training Course is available for general practitioners and primary health care nurses.

This course provides comprehensive training in the application, measurement and interpretation of expiratory spirometry in general practice. The 7-hour interactive workshop includes hands-on components to allow participants to apply their new knowledge in a practical setting.

This workshop can be delivered in urban, regional and remote areas across Australia.

Comprehensive training in the application, measurement and interpretation of spirometry for general practitioner and primary health care nurses.

This training is part of the National Asthma Council Australia (NAC) Asthma Education Program.

The Spirometry Training Course provides comprehensive training in the application, measurement and interpretation of expiratory spirometry in general practice. The 6-hour interactive workshop includes hands-on components to allow participants to apply their new knowledge in a practical setting.

The course is the result of an extensive consultation and development process involving members of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (ANZSRS) and the NAC's General Practitioner (GP) Asthma Advisory Group as well as expert asthma and respiratory educators.

Workshops are presented by health professional peer educators from our team of experts, usually one GP and one respiratory scientist. Suitably qualified demonstrators may also be involved to ensure a maximum ratio of participants to educators of 5:1 during the practical components.

Launched in 2007, the course is Australia's first national spirometry training course for GPs and primary health nurses. Evaluation results from the 2021-2023 program:

• 99% of survey respondents believe the workshop met all the expected learning outcomes.
• 99% of survey respondents believed the workshop would influence clinical management.
• 86% of survey respondents either ‘partially’ or ‘entirely’ retained confidence at six months to perform quality spirometry.

Key details

• Participants: GPs, practice nurses, asthma and respiratory educators
• Prerequisites: Completion of pre-reading provided by NAC via host organisation
• Duration: 6 hours (7 hours including breaks)

Health professionals who have previously completed formal spirometry training may find our short refresher workshop more suitable for their needs. 

Learning objectives

Learning objectives for participants:

• Identify the clinical indications where spirometry is recommended.
• Demonstrate how to correctly perform a spirometry test using role play and peer review.
• Interpret spirometry results to differentiate between respiratory conditions, such as asthma and COPD.
• Assess practice quality assurance procedures for spirometry.

Professional development recognition

Participants may be eligible for continuing professional development (CPD) hours from the following organisations:

• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP): Allocated 4.5 hours of Educational Activity and 1.5 hours of Reviewing Performance for the 2023-2025 triennium, Activity Number: 409754.
• Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM): Accredited by ACRRM as an educational event for 6 CPD educational hours.
• This activity has been endorsed by APNA according to approved quality standards criteria.

Workshop request

Each workshop is held in conjunction with a local host organisation. Hosting a workshop is generally quite straightforward, as the NAC coordinates the presenters and resource materials (including associated expenses).

The host organisation will need to:

• schedule and organise the session, use the online spirometry training enquiry form to express an interest in hosting
• arrange the venue, audio-visual equipment and catering
• promote the workshop to local GPs, practice nurses and asthma and respiratory educators
• receive registrations and confirm attendee participation
• be on site to coordinate the running of the workshop
• provide a brief report on the workshop after the session.

For more information please contact Sal Lokvancic, Project Co-ordinator, via email.

Endorsed courses

The Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (ANZSRS) is no longer endorsing spirometry courses. Our 6-hour Spirometry Training Course meets ANZSRS Guidelines for spirometry training for general practitioners in Australia.