Shaping the Future of Respiratory Diagnostics: Key Insights from ERS Congress Industry Skills Lab
The future of respiratory diagnostics hinges on critical thinking, collaboration, and data-driven approaches—this was the central message delivered at the recent Future Readiness Industry Skills Lab at the ERS Congress, where experts from leading UK hospitals, universities, and Vitalograph shared practical perspectives on shaping service delivery for the years ahead.
Modern Challenges in Respiratory Diagnostics
Respiratory care teams today manage increasingly complex patient cases, rising volumes, and escalating time pressures. Dr Rory Chan, Senior Clinical Lecturer at Dundee University and Consultant Respiratory Physician with the NHS, highlighted the challenges of overlapping disease profiles, greater multi-morbidity, and the frustration of siloed working environments.
His presentation underscored persistent bottlenecks in data access, delays in receiving key diagnostic tests, and the ongoing need for standardized, high-quality results to support timely, confident clinical decisions.
The Case for Workflow Innovation and Data Integration
Dr Karl Sylvester, Consultant Healthcare Scientist at Cambridge University Hospitals, emphasised that fixing workflow inefficiencies requires more than just better hardware—it demands smarter use of digital data across multidisciplinary teams.
Data collected across the patient journey from Primary Care through to Secondary Care often remains under-utilised. The move toward integration with electronic medical records (EMR) enables real-time collaboration, live feedback, and more accurate, speedy reporting. As Dr. Sylvester noted, individual logins and digital audit trails increase accountability, while live session monitoring allows remote troubleshooting and support for physiologists at multiple locations.
Empowering People and Teams
A highlight of the session was the focus on people: both patient experience and team capability. The speakers advocated for ongoing staff training and the use of system-generated analytics to identify knowledge gaps, improve consistency, and celebrate achievements.
Continuous quality improvement and audit, coupled with feedback and support, underpin the delivery of reliable, patient-centred diagnostics. Ensuring equipment calibration and test performance standards are met across sites provides clinical teams with the confidence they need to interpret results effectively.
Critical Thinking: The Whole Service View
The panel stressed the importance of breaking down silos—between pulmonologists, physiologists, GPs, and other referring specialities. Taking a “whole service” view allows stakeholders to scrutinise and redesign patient pathways, for example moving key tests such as FeNO and oscillometry closer to the point-of-care and considering community diagnostic hubs as a means to reduce delays.
Benchmarking against comparable services and embracing an external, “critical friend” perspective can help challenge assumptions, spotlight training and workflow needs, and deliver real service transformation.
Addressing Access Gaps and Accreditation Barriers
A major theme—especially relevant for COPD and asthma—was the challenge of delivering high-quality spirometry at scale. Strict accreditation standards are vital for test reliability, but can limit access, leaving many patients without essential diagnostics. The panel called for a pragmatic approach: training more staff to deliver high-quality screening spirometry, using alternative tests like oscillometry where appropriate, and supporting lone operators through real-time data sharing and expert review. Some data, they argued, is better than none, and digital tools can help maintain quality even outside specialist departments.
The speakers collectively underscored that system improvement is about much more than simply upgrading equipment. True transformation requires a service-wide perspective: examining end-to-end pathways from Primary to Secondary Care, rethinking roles for community diagnostic hubs, and constantly challenging status quo assumptions. Specialists run the risk of become blinkered regarding their own areas and may fail to consider tests performed elsewhere. By benchmarking pathways, actively involving multidisciplinary teams, and deploying real-world data, respiratory services can be genuinely future-ready.
As Adrian Fineberg, EVP PFT Solutions, Vitalograph summarised, the goal is to move as quickly as possible from presentation to diagnosis to treatment, delivering patient-centred care supported by actionable data. External expert partners – whether device or service providers – can offer fresh perspectives and tailored strategies to help departments escape historical siloes, upskill staff, validate quality, and make the case for investment in smarter, more flexible service models.
Partnering for Service Transformation
Effective transformation requires not just technology, but partnership—a willingness to rethink workflows, harness real-world data, and build collaborative relationships across care settings. The goal: to deliver faster diagnoses, quicker treatments, and ultimately, better outcomes for patients across the respiratory care pathway, at every stage.
Would you like to discuss your respiratory diagnostics service with a view understanding its requirements in order for it to be future ready? Vitalograph's team of PFT service experts are available to help you discover the challenges and opportunities that exist within your current service. Fill in your details and we'll be in touch to arrange the next step.