HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Spirometry
A spirometry test measures how well your lungs are working.
During the test, you'll be asked to breathe into a tube connected to a machine. You'll be asked to breath out hard and fast and to keep breathing out for as long as you can.
You'll need to repeat this three times to get an accurate recording.
Sometimes, you'll be asked to repeat the test after having an inhaler.
The Te Nikau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre medical technicians do spirometry testing. Some medical centres also do it. Children aged under 15 will be referred to the Christchurch Hospital Respiratory Physiology Laboratory.
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 – What is spirometry?
Information about what happens when you have a spirometry test.
- Patient.info – Spirometry
Detailed information about spirometry including what a spirometer measures, and the difference between normal readings and readings that indicate conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed June 2021.
Review key: HISPI-15604
