Respiratory care
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Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has increasingly been used for the treatment of acute respiratory failure. Despite recommendations supporting its utilization in a limited group of patients, NIV is frequently relied on as a first line treatment. We conducted a retrospective study to assess whether the extended use of NIV is associated with worse clinical outcomes. ⋯ This study supports the extended utilization of NIV for subjects without contraindications, and for subjects with indications despite the presence or absence of contraindications.
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In 2008 the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation launched the Respiratory Therapy Mentoring Program, which pairs a respiratory therapist (RT) relatively new to CF (apprentice) with a highly experienced RT (mentor) from a similar CF care center. We wished to determine if we had achieved our short-term goal of increasing CF-specific knowledge among the apprentices who participated in the program. ⋯ The results of this preliminary evaluation suggest that the RT mentoring program has achieved its short-term goal of increasing CF-specific knowledge among RTs relatively new to CF care.
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Use of respiratory therapist (RT)-guided protocols enhances allocation of respiratory care. In the context that optimal protocol use requires a system for auditing respiratory care plans to assure adherence to protocols and expertise of the RTs generating the care plan, a live audit system has been in longstanding use in our Respiratory Therapy Consult Service. Growth in the number of RT positions and the need to audit more frequently has prompted development of a new, computer-aided audit system. ⋯ The new, computer-aided audit system increased capacity to audit more RTs performing RT-guided consults while preserving accuracy as an audit tool. Ensuring that RTs adhere to the audit process remains the challenge for the new system, and is the rate-limiting step.