Spirometry (community)
Spirometry and flow volume loops are a subgroup of pulmonary function testing, which measures how the lungs work. Facilities only performing spirometry and flow volume loops are accredited through the community spirometry process.
New facilities
All new facilities must proceed through the initial assessment process.
Initial accreditation process
Facilities applying for initial accreditation must first submit the following documents, prior to service delivery or patient examinations, to dap@cpsbc.ca:
Part 1: Provisional accreditation
- Facility Information for Initial Assessment Form – Community Spirometry
- Accreditation Agreement
- Initial Assessment Data Submission Part 1: Technical Data – Community Spirometry
- Spirometry Acceptance Testing Worksheets
Upon review and acceptance of these documents, the DAP committee will grant provisional accreditation and patient services may begin.
Part 2: Full accreditation
Once provisional accreditation has been granted, the facility must complete part 2 of the assessment within six months by submitting the following document to dap@cpsbc.ca:
The data submitted is reviewed and, if acceptable, the facility will be awarded full accreditation.
Existing accreditation
In all other diagnostic services, the accreditation award is granted by the DAP Committee based on review of the report generated from an on-site assessment.
However, pulmonary function facilities conducting only spirometry testing are not assessed at their facility. Instead, they are assessed using a desktop audit of the quality control (QC) data. If you are changing your BioQC subject, you may wish to use the BioQC normal range calculator.
Successful QC performance will lead to an accreditation award every four years for these facilities.
Exemption
If the spirometer used exclusively is the COPD-6 Spirometer, as approved by the Medical Services Commission for case finding, DAP accreditation is not required.