{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,12]],"date-time":"2026-03-12T18:20:02Z","timestamp":1773339602102,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764547200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764547200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Internal Medicine Journal"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The COVID\u201019 pandemic caused disruption of respiratory laboratory services worldwide, with international respiratory societies recommending testing limitations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Aims<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our study aimed to quantify the impact of COVID\u201019 on laboratory\u2010based respiratory function tests (RFTs) in Australia using data from Australia's publicly funded universal healthcare system, Medicare.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We examined the online Medicare database for repeated cross\u2010sectional data to understand pre\u2010pandemic data trends, from July 1994 (earliest data) to September 2023. All laboratory\u2010based Medicare items related to RFTs were included, encompassing those before and after related changes in the Medicare Benefits Schedule implemented in 2018.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Following the COVID\u201019 pandemic declaration in March 2020, there was a 45% fall (100\u2009924 to 55\u2009896) in laboratory\u2010based RFTs in Australia in the second quarter of 2020, compared with the same quarter the previous year. The yearly fall was 19% in 2020 (326\u2009685) compared with 2019 (404\u2009593). This was against the background of a yearly average\u00b1standard deviation increase in testing numbers of 7\u00b13% from 1995 to 2018, followed by a 7% reduction in 2019 after Medicare changes. Fluctuations in testing were noted throughout 2020, 2021 and 2022, which state\u2010based data suggested were related to local lockdown conditions and COVID\u201019 case numbers.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our analysis highlights the substantial impact that the COVID\u201019 pandemic had on laboratory\u2010based Medicare\u2010funded respiratory function testing in Australia. State\u2010based fluctuations in testing numbers suggest the need for similar analysis elsewhere to fully understand the impact that COVID\u201019 had on respiratory laboratories worldwide.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/imj.70278","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T11:54:01Z","timestamp":1764590041000},"page":"63-71","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Impact of\n                    <scp>COVID<\/scp>\n                    \u201019 on respiratory function testing in Australian laboratories"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"56","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9626-7460","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Warren R.","family":"Ruehland","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Austin Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Institute for Breathing and Sleep  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-5148-2969","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Danny J.","family":"Brazzale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Austin Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Institute for Breathing and Sleep  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Celia J.","family":"Lanteri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Austin Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Institute for Breathing and Sleep  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1956-4518","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emma C.","family":"Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Austin Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Institute for Breathing and Sleep  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6481-3391","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christine F.","family":"McDonald","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Austin Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Institute for Breathing and Sleep  Melbourne Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine The University of Melbourne  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1471-9318","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thomas J.","family":"Churchward","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Austin Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Institute for Breathing and Sleep  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"#cr-split#-e_1_2_9_2_1.1","unstructured":"World Health Organization.WHO director\u2010general's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID\u201019 (updated 2020 Mar 11"},{"key":"#cr-split#-e_1_2_9_2_1.2","unstructured":"cited 2024 Apr 17). 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