This respiratory care week, OxyMask will be exploring the role of the respiratory therapist. We will be posting daily topics on RTs. Starting with, how RTs help.
Helping patients is the foundation to all respiratory practices and is one of the most important principles of respiratory care. Whether the RT is simply initiating low flow oxygen therapy, providing education on smoking cessation or assisting in a cardiac arrest, they are always committed to providing optimal care and are dedicated to helping their patient’s breath better.
We have all, at one point or another experienced some degree of respiratory distress. Whether it be the familiar “huff and puff” from walking up a flight of stairs or coughing up an alarming amount of suspicious green phlegm from a flu bug that lingered a week too long; We have all felt the effects of increased work on our respiratory systems.
It is the role of the RT to help patient’s understand their disease processes and to provide support, education and optimal care along the way. They are involved in helping diagnose, control and treat any underlying respiratory conditions in patients with breathing difficulties and are responsible for promoting continuity of care for patients in the community.
As the specialists in cardiopulmonary care, it is the primary goal of any Respiratory Therapist to help promote and maintain optimal lung health for their patients. From hospital admissions and outpatient testing, to high risk deliveries and the transition into homecare, RT’s are essential decision makers to the health and well-being of their patients.