title: Quality of spirometry tests performed by 9893 adults in 14 countries: the BOLD Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to determine the ability of participants in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study to meet quality goals for spirometry test session quality and to assess factors contributing to good quality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following 2 days of centralized training, spirometry was performed pre- and post-bronchodilator (BD) at 14 international sites, in random population-based samples of persons aged ≥40 years, following a standardized protocol. The quality of each test session was evaluated by the spirometer software and an expert reading center. Descriptive statistics were calculated for key maneuver acceptability variables. A logistic regression model identified the predictors of acceptable quality test sessions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 96% of test sessions met our quality goals for a low back-extrapolated volume (BEV), time to peak flow (PEFT), and end-of-test volume (EOTV). The mean forced expiratory time (FET) was 10.4 s. Ninety percent of the maneuvers with the highest FVC had a forced expiratory time (FET) > 6.8 s. About 90% of test sessions had FEV(1) and FVC which were repeatable within 150 mL. Test quality was slightly better for post-BD test sessions when compared to pre-BD. Independent predictors of adequate test quality included female sex, younger age, higher education, lack of dyspnea, higher pre-BD FEV(1), less BD responsiveness, and study site.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quality goals for spirometry tests were met about 90% of the time in these population-based samples of adults from several countries.
authors.affiliation: The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Enright
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Vollmer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lamprecht
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jithoo
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Studnicka
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Burney
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gillespie
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Buist
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011786:Quality Control; D013147:Spirometry / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires