An In-Hospital Pulmonary Function Screening Program

Abstract

It has been suggested in the literature that selected populations be screened for clues to respiratory disease; portable, direct-readout pulmonary function test equipment now makes such screening possible in hospital-admission populations. We conducted investigative programs of pulmonary function testing on a group of persons outside the hospital and on a group of hospital physicians, with about 23 per cent of the first group and about 15 per cent of the physicians showing "abnormal” pulmonary function. An in-hospital pilot program to screen nonemergency admissions (except juveniles) was authorized and conducted; of 363 patients screened, 41 per cent had abnormal function. Thus a full-scale screening program was set up in 1972, and results through 1976 are reported here. About 25 per cent of 6,672 patients have been found to show abnormal function as demonstrated by forced vital capacity or forced expired volume in one second, the first test to monitor restrictive defects and the second to monitor obstructive defects. The program has been judged valuable and continues.