Building spirometry skills where they are needed most

In 2026, respiratory health and lung function expert Lindsay Zurba and her colleagues trained 63 clinicians and researchers across Africa and Southeast Asia in high-quality spirometry, through programs run with the American Thoracic Society's MECOR initiative and the Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS). Each program combined six weeks of online learning with a hands-on practical day: 17 participants in Kenya and 46 in Bali, Indonesia.

The latest of these, the PATS MECOR Africa Spirometry Training Programme, concluded on 4 October 2026 with a hands-on practical workshop at Brackenhurst, Kenya. Seventeen participants from across Africa, spanning different countries, clinical backgrounds and research settings, completed the six-week course. It followed the Southeast Asia programme earlier in the year, which trained 46 participants and ended with a practical day in Bali.

Why spirometry training matters

Spirometry is the cornerstone of lung function testing. It underpins the diagnosis and monitoring of conditions such as asthma and COPD, and it generates the data that respiratory research depends on.

But a spirometry result is only as reliable as the patient's ability to perform the test correctly, and that requires expert coaching from a healthcare professional. Equipment calibration must also be verified and quality-assured, and results judged for acceptability before they inform any clinical or research decision.

In many parts of the world, structured training in these skills is hard to come by. Programmes like the MECOR spirometry courses help close that gap, building expertise within the regions where it is needed and where it can be passed on.

Six weeks of learning, one day in Kenya

The programme uses a blended approach: ten 1.5-hour online sessions over six weeks, supported by eLearning activities, followed by a full day of hands-on practical training.

Participants progressed from respiratory physiology and equipment quality assurance through to delivering high-quality spirometry tests, evaluating test quality, and interpreting and reporting results.

At Brackenhurst, theory became practice. Participants worked through calibration verification procedures, performed spirometry, troubleshot problems, assessed test quality and discussed interpretation together.

"There is something particularly rewarding about watching learners move from understanding the theory to developing the confidence to actually do it," said Lindsay. "As always, there were plenty of laughs, lively discussions and those wonderful lightbulb moments along the way."

Developed in Africa, shared with the world

The course has deep roots. It was built and refined over many years by Lindsay and her African colleagues, drawing on their shared knowledge, materials and experience of teaching spirometry across the continent.

In 2026 that foundation was adapted for the ATS MECOR Southeast Asia programme. Forty-six participants completed the same six-week online course before coming together for a practical day in Bali, where they performed tests, troubleshot equipment, assessed quality and interpreted results side by side.

"It is wonderful to see something developed through African collaboration now being shared and adapted to support colleagues in another region of the world," said Lindsay.

One person trained, many lives reached

The real impact begins when the workshop ends. Participants return to their hospitals, clinics, teaching environments and research programmes, where they can influence colleagues, raise the standard of lung function testing and strengthen respiratory research and patient care in their own settings.

"One person trained can make a difference to so many others," said Lindsay.

She credits the programmes' success to collaboration: PATS and ATS MECOR's commitment to building research and clinical capacity; Vitalograph's provision of the high-quality diagnostic devices and software that are critical to delivering the courses; and the many people working behind the scenes on planning, coordination, equipment preparation and technical support. "It is a wonderful example of what c8Imageaddexpandmore-dotsan happen when organisations, educators and industry partners work together towards a common goal."

Supporting a shared mission

As a specialist in respiratory diagnostics, with devices trusted by healthcare professionals around the world, Vitalograph has been proud to support a number of these spirometry training initiatives in recent years, including both 2026 programmes, where our team also provided logistical support. It is part of Vitalograph’s mission to help people breathe easier by enabling a deeper understanding of lung health, and that starts with the operators who guide patients through their tests.

“Programmes like these are a powerful reminder of why we do what we do," said Helen Venn, Chief Science and Strategy Officer at Vitalograph. "Our people take enormous pride in knowing that the respiratory diagnostic solutions they design, build and support are helping clinicians across Africa, South East Asia and beyond deliver better respiratory care. But equipment alone is not enough. Access to high-quality spirometry depends on skilled healthcare professionals, and initiatives like MECOR are vital in building that expertise where it is needed most. By investing in people, they create a lasting improvement in lung health that reaches far beyond the classroom.”

Vitalograph congratulates Lindsay, her colleagues, PATS, ATS MECOR and all 63 participants on an outstanding year of learning.