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The author cites the factors to consider to ensure the validity of handheld spirometers in diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the U.S. He stresses that spirometers used in office setting should be approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Lung Health Education Program. He notes that more sophisticated biochemical markers should be developed to detect COPD and other airway diseases and to follow the efficacy of medical interventions. He suggests that more trials should be conducted on spirometers.

The National Lung Health Education Program (NLHEP), founded in 1997, is a national health care initiative to promote early diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and related disorders. NLHEP creates and provides lung health publications for laypeople and health professionals and develops and conducts workshops for health care professionals, to promote clinician expertise in office spirometry and spirogram interpretation, and to increase everyone's awareness of the effects of smoking and the availability of smoking-cessation programs, support systems, and treatments. The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) has been a NLHEP partner from the beginning, and now those 2 organizations are adding another dimension to their partnership: AARC is going to take over all NLHEP administrative functions.