China
Africa
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Shift Change!
Published in Robert C. Horn, How Will They Know If I'm Dead?, 2017
My experience with nurses — and with respiratory therapists — during my month-long sojourn in the hospital in March 1991, was almost uniformly positive. The ICU personnel were highly skilled. Reflecting back, some were friendlier than others, some more patient, and some seemed more caring. Although I began to notice such differences in the latter part of my stay, they hardly mattered. They were inconsequential, trivial. I was, as they say, just damn glad to be there. Here. Among the living. Alive! Besides, how did I know what the nurses were doing to me, much less what should have been done, if different, or how anything should be done? I was new at all this. And I was completely clueless.
Emergency Medicine
Published in Akshaya Neil Arya, Preparing for International Health Experiences, 2017
ER teams: Most developed countries have well-functioning ERs with nurses and physicians working side-by-side. Allied healthcare workers such as respiratory therapists, physician assistants and nurse practitioners may also be involved in patient care. In comparison, there is limited staff in resource-poor areas. The nursing scope of practice may not be as comprehensive as we are used to in North America. For example, starting an intravenous line or drawing blood may not be in their skill set and you might be required to perform these tasks. The lack of high-tech equipment requires a reliance on strong clinical skills and the physician skills are usually at a high level. Furthermore, nurses in some regions are trained in a focused area of practice, such as maternity or anesthesia, to help with the lack of healthcare personnel.
The Interdisciplinary Team
Published in Stephen R. Connor, Hospice and Palliative Care, 2017
Occupational therapy can help debilitated patients continue to function longer. When used in palliative care, occupational therapists teach the patient and family to use special devices so the patient can continue to eat, to do important activities, and to provide personal care longer. The speech therapist is used in palliative care to assist patients who have trouble communicating. A patient who has a brain tumor or lesion and who has lost speech or has other aphasic symptoms can use a speech therapist to regain some ability to communicate with family. The respiratory therapist administers breathing treatments to patients who have difficulty breathing. In addition, an enterostomal therapist can be very helpful in solving problems with stomas and is an expert in skin care management.
Supporting Health for the Long Haul: a literature synthesis and proposed occupational therapy self-management virtual group intervention for return-to-work
Published in World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin, 2023
Johanna Bardo, Jessica Asiello, Alix Sleight
Access to rehabilitation services for COVID-19 survivors varies, depending on several factors. The severity of initial infection, geographical location, and time of infection relative to surges and crowded hospitals can all determine whether a person was offered therapy services or not, especially in the early time-frame of the pandemic. A quasi-experimental study of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in China found that those who received 10 min of respiratory rehabilitation twice a week over six weeks had a significantly better quality of life, activity tolerance, and decreased anxiety compared to those who received no intervention (Liu et al., 2020). Access to a respiratory therapist, cardiac/pulmonary therapist, occupational therapist, or physical therapist varies depending on several factors. The severity of one’s condition, facility offerings, as well as the country’s medical and rehabilitation capacity, and access to resources all factor into an experience of care. Many with a mild or asymptomatic initial infection but persistent symptoms may lack knowledge of existing options or may lack insurance coverage or a primary care provider altogether.
Delivery of cystic fibrosis psychosocial care across developmental stages
Published in Children's Health Care, 2023
Courtney Lynn, Emma Lyons, Emily Muther
The CHCO CF team is interdisciplinary in nature such that team members work across discipline boundaries to create a unified case conceptualization of each patient and to help patients and families reach their goals. Joint visits with several disciplines are common in order to promote optimal quality of life. For instance, medical providers and psychologists are in constant communication with each other regarding psychosocial factors that may impact the family’s ability to adequately cope with CF and the complexity of disease management. Psychologists may help providers understand different ways of communicating with families if health literacy is a concern, different ways to obtain resources, and different ways of coping with the diagnosis. Dieticians and psychologists work together to discuss concerns surrounding feeding and body image. Furthermore, respiratory therapists actively assess for treatment adherence and work with psychologists to implement strategies and develop interventions to help patients be more successful with their health. To highlight the intensity of psychosocial care in the CF population, goals of care, assessment, and interventions that take place at CHCO are going to be described across the developmental stages.
COPD: Does Inpatient Education Impact Hospital Costs and Length of Stay?
Published in Hospital Topics, 2019
Hengameh M. Hosseini, Dinesh R. Pai, Daniel R. Ofak
Our research demonstrates that a comprehensive program of COPD inpatient education by using existing RTs is associated with enhanced hospital care delivery and improved quality of life. We suggest that it is possible to reduce both hospital length of stay and associated costs simultaneously. We believe that this research provides and encouraging and a reassuring insight to hospital administration on the use of existing resources for inpatient education. The study provides insights on development of an education program for the existing respiratory therapists and its application on patient’s disease. The study also demonstrates how an interdisciplinary, collaborative, well-coordinated effort could lead to successful patient outcomes.