HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Spirometry
Whakamātaunga ornga pūkahukahu
A spirometry test measures how well your lungs are working.
During the test, you will be asked to breathe into a tube connected to a machine. You will be asked to breath out hard and fast and to keep breathing out for as long as you can.
You will need to repeat this 3 times to get an accurate recording.
Sometimes, you will be asked to repeat the test after having an inhaler.
There are many places in Canterbury where your doctor can send you for a spirometry test. These include community medical centres. The Christchurch Hospital respiratory physiology laboratory also does spirometry testing.
HealthInfo recommends the following videos
- National Asthma Council Australia – Performing spirometry in primary care
A video showing how spirometry is done.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ – Understanding spirometry
Information about what happens when you have a spirometry test.
- Patient.info – Spirometry
Detailed information about spirometry including what a spirometer measures. It also explains the difference between normal readings and readings that indicate conditions such as asthma or COPD.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed October 2024.
SourcesReview key: HISPI-15604
