Respiratory Care Plans and Protocols.txt

• Responsible for the clinical function of the department and provides oversight of the clinical care that is delivered.
• Medical direction for respiratory care is usually provided by a pulmonologist or an anesthesiologist

a medical director must possess both management and clinical skills

• The quality of a RTs depends primarily on their training, education, experience, and professionalism.
• Training teaches students to perform tasks at a competent level, whereas clinical education provides students with a knowledge base they can use in evaluating a situation and making appropriate decisions.

CoARC-approved educational program

offered by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)

Licensure and certification

• Assess and evaluate pt's regarding indications
• Cognizant of age-related issues
• Adapt hospital policies and procedures to alternate care sites
• Conduct and participate in research activities
• Communicate effectively with all members of the health care team

�a calling that requires specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation�.

by maintaining the highest practice standards, by engaging in ongoing learning, by conducting research to advance the quality of respiratory care, and by participating in organized activities through professional societies such as the AARC and associated state societies.

• Completes an accredited respiratory therapy program
• Obtains professional credentials
• Participates in continuing education activites
• Adheres to the code of ethics put forth by his or her institution and/or state licensing board
• Joins professional organizations

the TJC and by the government

This act sets standards regarding the way sensitive health care information is communicated and revealed in the transmission of medical records and in the written and verbal communication of information in the hospital

The manager of the department

They must make sure the equipment and the associated protocols and procedures have sufficient quality to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of the patient using the equipment

the Medical Device Amendment Act of 1976, which comes under the authority of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Respiratory Care Protocols

treatments and services that are indicated, delivered by the correct method, and discontinued when no longer needed

respiratory therapy consult service or an evaluate-and-treat program

• Intrainstitutional monitoring practices
• Centralized, government monitoring bodies, such as TJC (The Joint Commission)

The Joint Commission

requires a hospital service to have a quality assurance plan to provide a system for controlling quality

• CQI is an ongoing process to detect and correct factors hindering the provision of quality and cost-effective health care.
• This process crosses department boundaries and follows the continuum of the patient�s care.

• Conducting care plan audits in real time
• Ensuring practitioner training by using case study exercises

With an auditing system, the auditor will write a care plan for a selected patient and compare it with the care plan written by the therapist evaluator to determine correctness

monthly, with results tabulated and reported monthly or quarterly, depending on the size of the hospital

• a computer-based system with which therapists can complete the assessments and care plans.
• The program scores the assessments and care plans and provides immediate feedback to the therapist.
• Individual therapists� performance data can then be added to a database to calculate and track aggregate performance statistics

evaluate the quality and appropriateness of care given to Medicare beneficiaries

Such PROs evaluate care provided to individual patients in real time to ensure compliance with federal guidelines

• Hospital restructuring and redesign
• Patient-focused care
• Disease management

• Flatten its hierarchies (i.e., reduce the number of management tiers)
• Decentralize some departments
• The ultimate goal is to attain greater organizational effectiveness and productivity while preserving or increasing employee satisfaction.

• Approaches for restructuring commonly include:
• Cross-training employees
• Using unlicensed assistive staff
• Decentralizing services by bringing them directly to the patient

the patient-focused care model; and has largely declined in use

Protocols

Disease Management

• An integrated health care system that can provide coordinated care across the full range of patients� needs
• A comprehensive knowledge base, regarding the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, that guides the plan of care
• Sophisticated clinical and administrative information systems that can help assess patterns of clinical practice
• A commitment to CQI

Evidence-based Medicine

• A rigorous and systematic review of available evidence
• A critical analysis of available evidence to determine what management conclusions are most sound and applicable
• A disciplined approach to incorporating the literature with personal practice and experience