Patients and families from overseas often ask: they want to come to Beijing for consultation, hoping to have all the relevant tests done locally, so that they do not have to wait for a long time and even need to go back and forth for tests in Beijing. The cost is one aspect, and more importantly, the patient is inconvenienced by the bumps and bruises that follow. This situation is more common, but each patient’s condition is different and the tests needed may not be exactly the same. I can only make a few general observations here. First of all, the patient’s condition should allow him/her to go out by all kinds of transportation. For patients who are very sick, it is best not to go out easily and travel long distances to avoid accidents on the road. Some patients will have significant breathing difficulties (wheezing, shortness of breath) after activity, so it is best to carry oxygen to save the day if necessary. The safer course of action is to consult a respiratory specialist at the local hospital and listen to the expert’s opinion before making a decision on whether it is necessary or possible to go out for consultation. As for the clinic and medical records, it is recommended that you bring all the clinic records you have seen, no matter what level of hospital you have seen them in, as this is very helpful in determining changes in your condition. If you have ever been hospitalized, your doctor will give you a discharge summary when you are discharged from the hospital. If you have copies of test reports done during your hospitalization, bring them with you. From my experience, most of the routine tests for pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease are done in the respiratory departments of hospitals above the second level, but some special tests, or tests with higher technical requirements, can only be done in tertiary hospitals. The main tests include the following: a. Lung CT: As I have said in my previous article, lung CT is a necessary test to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease, and it is best to do high-resolution CT. However, this does not affect the initial consultation, just bring the lung CT film in hand and re-examine it if necessary. Second, pulmonary function tests: There are many items (indicators) in pulmonary function tests, including diffusion function measurement, which is helpful to determine the condition of pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease. If you have done this test, bring the report card with you. If you haven’t, it doesn’t matter. In our department, you can go for pulmonary function tests at the time of consultation, and you can get the test report in about one hour. Routine laboratory tests: For pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease, the doctor will generally prescribe some routine laboratory tests at the time of consultation, which is very meaningful for determining the condition, even if the laboratory indicators are normal, it is also very helpful for differential diagnosis. Routine tests generally include: routine blood, urine (stool) routine, liver and kidney function, cardiac enzyme profile, etc. Immune indicators: Since many pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung diseases are caused by rheumatic immune diseases, for the first-time patients, this aspect is usually examined, mainly including rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), etc. Generally speaking, these tests can be done in hospitals above the second level with better conditions. Rheumatic immune diseases that can cause pulmonary fibrosis are common: rheumatoid arthritis, dry syndrome, polymyositis (dermatomyositis), scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc. V. Other tests: For example, obtaining bronchoalveolar lavage fluid through bronchoscopy for cell classification and lymphocyte subpopulation analysis is also helpful in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease; however, some hospitals do not always routinely perform them. If it has been done before, make sure to bring the test results with you; if it has not been done, it is not necessary to schedule the test on an ad hoc basis and wait for the consultation to determine if it is necessary based on the condition. It is important to emphasize that pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease are generic terms for many different diseases, so in clinical practice, different hospitals and doctors may have different diagnostic processes for these diseases, and different tests may be performed, which is a characteristic of clinical medicine itself and cannot be generalized. The suggestions I mentioned above are only my personal experience and understanding, for reference only, and for each patient, the opinion of the attending physician should prevail.