Resources · Outcome Measures & Clinical Skills

The tests, measures, and the skills.

Written for clinicians. The investigations and outcome measures used in cardiorespiratory practice, and the advanced techniques that go with them. These pages assume clinical training and are not intended as patient information.

Microbiology & Medications Outcome Measures & Clinical Skills · area 05 of 07 Surgery & Procedures
Measuring the lungs

Lung Function Testing

6 guides

Spirometry and the tests that sit around it — how each one is performed, what makes a result usable, and how it is interpreted against TSANZ SPC01.

TestSpirometryThe core breathing test of lung function.InvestigationComplex Lung Function TestingEverything beyond spirometry — volumes, gas transfer, resistance and muscle pressures.InvestigationMultiple Breath Washout & LCIThe tidal-breathing test that finds small-airway disease while spirometry is still normal.StandardsWhat Changed in Lung Function Standards (2026)Old rule, new rule, and what to do differently — in one table.StandardsSpirometry Service & Operator StandardsEquipment, quality control, operator training and competency.OccupationalMine Dust Lung Disease ScreeningQueensland mine and quarry surveillance, and what happens next.
Seeing the chest

Imaging

5 guides

What each study shows, what it cannot show, and how to read a report against the clinical picture.

TestChest X-rayThe quick first-line picture of the lungs, heart and chest.TestChest CT ScanDetailed cross-sectional imaging of the lungs, airways and vessels.TestLung UltrasoundA-lines, B-lines, sliding and consolidation — the bedside scan that separates collapse from pneumonia.InvestigationVentilation–Perfusion (V/Q) ScanningWhen V/Q beats CTPA — pregnancy, renal impairment, CTEPH screening and predicted postoperative lung function.TestEchocardiographyEjection fraction, diastolic function, TAPSE and valve severity — how to read the report and what it changes.
The numbers

Bloods & Gas Analysis

3 guides

Gas exchange, acid–base balance and compensation — interpreting a result rather than reciting it.

InvestigationBlood Tests in Cardiorespiratory PracticeFBC, CRP, natriuretic peptides, troponin and D-dimer — which results should change what you do today.InvestigationArterial & Venous Blood GasesReading the blood gas — and which numbers a venous sample can answer.InvestigationAllergy & Eosinophil TestingEosinophils, IgE, skin prick testing and FeNO — the markers that now decide inhaled and biologic therapy.
At the bedside

Bedside Assessment

2 guides

The examination skills and tracings read at the patient, before any test is ordered.

TestAuscultationListening to the chest with a stethoscope.InvestigationECG BasicsReading the trace — rate, rhythm and the findings that stop a session.
Measuring capacity

Exercise Testing & Outcome Measures

12 guides

The tests that quantify what a person can actually do — and, in the case of CPET, why they have to stop.

InvestigationCardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET)The test that shows which part of the system runs out first.TestSix-Minute Walk Test (6MWT)How far you can walk in six minutes — and oxygen on exertion.TestIncremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT)A progressive, paced walking test of capacity.TestEndurance Shuttle Walk Test (ESWT)A constant-pace test of walking endurance.TestSit-to-Stand TestsField capacity measured with nothing but a chair.TestGait SpeedSeconds to measure, and strongly predictive of outcome.TestTwo-Minute Walk TestFor patients who cannot complete six minutes.AssessmentCardiac Depression ScaleCardiac-specific mood screening at rehabilitation intake.RehabPrescribing Exercise from Test ResultsTurning a test result into an actual training programme.TestModified Borg (mBORG) ScaleA simple 0–10 rating of breathlessness and effort.AssessmentFunctional Capacity Assessment (NDIS)Detailed assessment of daily function for NDIS plans.TestCardiac Stress TestingExercise ECG, stress echo and perfusion imaging — and how the report sets a safe training prescription.
Hands-on practice

Techniques & Procedures

9 guides

Advanced clinical skills for the ward and the intensive care unit — including the assessment that decides whether to treat at all.

TechniqueActive Cycle of Breathing Techniques (ACBT)The active cycle of breathing, adapted to clear excess secretions.TechniquePEP & Oscillating DevicesPositive-pressure devices that help move mucus.TechniqueAutogenic DrainageA breathing-controlled clearance technique.TechniqueCough Assist (MI-E)Mechanical insufflation–exsufflation to assist a weak cough.TechniqueAssisted Cough & Glossopharyngeal BreathingPutting the force back into a cough that is too weak to clear the airway.TechniqueIncentive SpirometrySound physiology, mostly negative trials — and the one indication where it clearly works.RehabInspiratory Muscle Training (IMT)Strengthening the muscles you breathe with.TechniqueManual Hyperinflation & SuctioningSlow in, hold, fast out — and the assessment that decides whether to treat at all.CardiacSternal PrecautionsAfter a sternotomy — from rigid restriction to guided sternal management.

These resources are for general education and are not a substitute for individualised assessment by a qualified clinician. If your symptoms change suddenly or severely, seek urgent medical care.