Use of race-based reference equations in pulmonary function testing has led to thresholds for what qualifies as impairment in populations.

Credit: Getty Images The road to race-neutral pulmonary function testing has been long and evolving; now, ATS recommends this approach and a Boston hospital offers an implementation model. In July, ...

Removing a patient’s race from an equation used to assess lung function — a change called for by health equity advocates — would mean that the lung disease of nearly half a million Black Americans ...

Good breathing is at the heart of good health. When asthma or shortness of breath appears, a person might be sent for pulmonary function tests. Arlene Dunlap of Piscataway, N.J. knows those tests well ...

Veterans Affairs department officials said Monday they have launched a study to determine how removing race from widely used lung function tests may affect disability benefits for veterans, and they ...

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . Clinicians need to remember that a patient’s reported race includes social factors in addition to genetics. In ...

For decades, clinical algorithms that were used to diagnose disease have included race as a variable. Over the past several years, growing recognition that this may lead to diagnoses being entirely ...

Examining a patient for common or complex pulmonary issues in a primary care setting takes time and expertise — physicians need to ask about symptoms and medical history and determine which tests to ...

What are pulmonary function tests? Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are tests of lung function. They are intended to evaluate and monitor chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is ...

A phlegmy cough and shortness of breath are possible warning signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Keeping track of your symptoms and knowing your risk factors can help you test ...

Examining a patient for common or complex pulmonary issues in a primary care setting takes time and expertise — physicians need to ask about symptoms and medical history and determine which tests to ...