Coming together: the ATS/ERS consensus on clinical pulmonary function testing

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Abstract
In recent years, global initiatives were undertaken for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary diseases, and the worldwide market for instruments to test lung function widened considerably. This increased the pressure for more uniform pulmonary function testing across the world, and prompted the ATS and the ERS to appoint a joint Task Force to provide new combined standards for clinical pulmonary function testing, with the hope that they will be accepted by other respiratory societies. A new Task Force on pulmonary function testing, implemented by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), has recently started its work based on the ATS/ERS documents.