How Local SARS-CoV-2 Prevalence Shapes Pulmonary Function Testing Laboratory Protocols and Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.1 Initially, hospitals canceled numerous elective and outpatient medical services, including nonurgent pulmonary function tests (PFTs).2 Gradually, these services were resumed in accordance with national guidelines.3 Organizations including the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and others4,5 have since published recommendations regarding provision of respiratory services in the era of COVID-19. We aimed to evaluate which practices were being most widely adopted by PFT laboratories across the United States and to examine how community COVID-19 prevalence shaped those practices.