RT education and COVID-19 pneumonia discharge quality
# Background There is a lack of data assessing the influence of respiratory therapist (RT) education on clinical outcomes. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of RTs holding advanced degrees or completing adult critical care competencies on discharge outcomes of patients...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Canadian Journal of Respiratory Therapy |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.29390/001c.87641 |
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| author | Ramandeep Kaur Anne Geistkemper Riten Mitra Ellen A. Becker |
| author_facet | Ramandeep Kaur Anne Geistkemper Riten Mitra Ellen A. Becker |
| author_sort | Ramandeep Kaur |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | # Background
There is a lack of data assessing the influence of respiratory therapist (RT) education on clinical outcomes. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of RTs holding advanced degrees or completing adult critical care competencies on discharge outcomes of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.
# Study Design and Methods
This retrospective, cross-sectional study included adults with confirmed COVID-19 admitted to the hospital for at least three days between March-May 2020. The academic degree held by each RT was considered advanced (baccalaureate or higher) or associate degree. Discharge outcomes were considered good, compromised, or poor when subjects' hospital discharge was directly to home, long-term care facility/rehabilitation center, or hospice/died, respectively. A time-to-event multi-state regression model was used to determine the impact of RT academic degree and adult critical care competencies on discharge outcomes using α=0.05.
# Results
A total of 260 subjects (median age 59 y; 166 males) received clinical care from 132 RTs. RT median professional experience was six y (IQR 3-11), 70.8% had an advanced degree, and 70.8% completed adult critical care competencies. The time-to-event multi-state regression model showed that patients with \>85% exposure to RTs with advanced degrees transitioned 3.72 times more frequently to good outcomes than RTs without advanced degrees (*p*=.001). Similarly, patients with \>85% exposure to RTs with adult critical care competencies transitioned 5.10 times more frequently to good outcomes than RTs without adult critical care competencies (*p*\<.001).
# Conclusion
Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who received greater than 85% of their care by RTs who earned advanced degrees or completed adult critical care competencies had improved discharge outcomes. This preliminary work suggests that advancing education for the respiratory therapist workforce may improve the discharge quality of patients with acute respiratory failure and should be further explored. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d922bd03172f4fe9bf5e240673d7bb0b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2368-6820 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Journal of Respiratory Therapy |
| spelling | doaj-art-d922bd03172f4fe9bf5e240673d7bb0b2025-02-11T20:30:52ZengCanadian Society of Respiratory TherapistsCanadian Journal of Respiratory Therapy2368-68202023-09-0159RT education and COVID-19 pneumonia discharge qualityRamandeep KaurAnne GeistkemperRiten MitraEllen A. Becker# Background There is a lack of data assessing the influence of respiratory therapist (RT) education on clinical outcomes. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of RTs holding advanced degrees or completing adult critical care competencies on discharge outcomes of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. # Study Design and Methods This retrospective, cross-sectional study included adults with confirmed COVID-19 admitted to the hospital for at least three days between March-May 2020. The academic degree held by each RT was considered advanced (baccalaureate or higher) or associate degree. Discharge outcomes were considered good, compromised, or poor when subjects' hospital discharge was directly to home, long-term care facility/rehabilitation center, or hospice/died, respectively. A time-to-event multi-state regression model was used to determine the impact of RT academic degree and adult critical care competencies on discharge outcomes using α=0.05. # Results A total of 260 subjects (median age 59 y; 166 males) received clinical care from 132 RTs. RT median professional experience was six y (IQR 3-11), 70.8% had an advanced degree, and 70.8% completed adult critical care competencies. The time-to-event multi-state regression model showed that patients with \>85% exposure to RTs with advanced degrees transitioned 3.72 times more frequently to good outcomes than RTs without advanced degrees (*p*=.001). Similarly, patients with \>85% exposure to RTs with adult critical care competencies transitioned 5.10 times more frequently to good outcomes than RTs without adult critical care competencies (*p*\<.001). # Conclusion Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who received greater than 85% of their care by RTs who earned advanced degrees or completed adult critical care competencies had improved discharge outcomes. This preliminary work suggests that advancing education for the respiratory therapist workforce may improve the discharge quality of patients with acute respiratory failure and should be further explored.https://doi.org/10.29390/001c.87641 |
| spellingShingle | Ramandeep Kaur Anne Geistkemper Riten Mitra Ellen A. Becker RT education and COVID-19 pneumonia discharge quality Canadian Journal of Respiratory Therapy |
| title | RT education and COVID-19 pneumonia discharge quality |
| title_full | RT education and COVID-19 pneumonia discharge quality |
| title_fullStr | RT education and COVID-19 pneumonia discharge quality |
| title_full_unstemmed | RT education and COVID-19 pneumonia discharge quality |
| title_short | RT education and COVID-19 pneumonia discharge quality |
| title_sort | rt education and covid 19 pneumonia discharge quality |
| url | https://doi.org/10.29390/001c.87641 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ramandeepkaur rteducationandcovid19pneumoniadischargequality AT annegeistkemper rteducationandcovid19pneumoniadischargequality AT ritenmitra rteducationandcovid19pneumoniadischargequality AT ellenabecker rteducationandcovid19pneumoniadischargequality |