Do you need a referral for spirometry?

Spirometry records the amount of air you can breathe out and the speed of the exhalation. It may help a clinician assess ongoing cough, wheeze, breathlessness, or suspected airflow limitation. The result is interpreted with your symptoms, examination, medical history, and sometimes other tests.

A general-practice clinic may perform the test, or a pulmonology service may arrange it. Referral details can help the testing team know whether the appointment is for diagnosis, follow-up, or checking response to treatment.

Ask the clinic whether direct booking is available and whether you should pause any inhaler or other medicine beforehand. Follow the service’s instructions rather than changing treatment independently. Wear comfortable clothing and bring your medication list and any earlier lung function reports.

During spirometry, you usually take a full breath and blow forcefully into a device while following the technician’s instructions. Good effort and a well-fitting mouthpiece help produce a useful reading; tell the technician if coughing, dizziness, or chest discomfort interrupts the test.

Do not wait for routine spirometry if breathing is severely difficult, your lips look blue, you have chest pressure, you faint, or you cannot speak in usual sentences because of breathlessness. Seek urgent care for rapidly worsening breathing symptoms.

Ask: Can your clinic perform spirometry or do I need a referral? Should I use my inhaler before the appointment? What symptoms is the test investigating? When will the result be reviewed? What should I do if breathing worsens while I wait?