Pneumologie
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Because of the expected significant growth in the elderly population and respiratory diseases, the topic of "delegation of physician's duties" is of increasing importance to the German health-care system. In 2004 the German Respiratory Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pneumologie und Beatmungsmedizin e. V. (DGP)) established the new profession: respiratory therapist. ⋯ However, this is not yet true for all the newly employed respiratory therapists. Only few of the new graduate respiratory therapists were awarded higher salaries. It is a strongly recommendation to the heads of medical departments and the human resources managers of hospitals that they should recognise the increased qualifications of nurses and physiotherapists who become respiratory therapists by appropriate remuneration.