Although Parkes et al’s study is interesting,1 the only conclusion is that for asymptomatic smokers who undergo spirometry, communication about lung age is a more effective motivator for smoking cessation than providing patients with uninterpreted spirometry measurements. The study does not establish the independent motivational effectiveness of doing spirometry screening versus not doing it, which would require a randomised trial in which the control arm did not receive spirometry. Only two randomised controlled trials of this type have been conducted and both had negative results. For this and other reasons, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that adults (regardless of smoking status) should not be screened for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using spirometry.2
Competing interests: None declared.
References
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