What Can a Respiratory Therapist Do?
As I have talked about in previous articles, pulmonary rehabilitation is a crucial part of our management plan. For a patient, it means a long-term commitment to ensure better health outcomes and this means your RT will become an important part of your life.
They can cover a wide range of topics that will affect your quality of life, including education about your disease and how to manage it, the correct way to take your medication, nutrition advice, exercise programs, breathing techniques, psychological counseling, and locations of support groups.
An experienced RT has the advantage of spending thousands of hours with patients who have a variety of respiratory diseases. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or have them explain anything you do not understand.
What to Expect from Respiratory Therapy for COPD
Through consultation and developing a relationship with you, your RT will quickly build an overall picture of your health status and what areas you need to work on.
This could be anything from improving your knowledge of how to manage your disease, to explaining how you can build your exercise capacity. Personally I never stop learning about my disease, and with the knowledge I gain, I continually reassess my management plan to make sure it is working for me.
In day-to-day life, it is a good idea to write down any questions or concerns you have with managing your disease so you can discuss them with your RT upon your next visit.
Many respiratory therapists are adopting a “push yourself” attitude when it comes to exercise, and as a patient this is an attitude I completely endorse. Trust your doctor and RT to develop an exercise program that will push your exercise limits safely and without risk of injury.
If your COPD is severe and you require the use of supplementary oxygen, your RT can not only help with using your oxygen equipment, they can introduce you to exercising while using supplementary oxygen. You should aim to continually improve your exercise output, as this will translate into better outcomes for your daily routine.
When looking for an RT to help coordinate your respiratory requirements, it is important to find a professional you are not only comfortable with, but confident in their abilities. A good RT should not be a dictator but should be willing to work with you and your doctor in a cooperative manner. They should be abreast of the latest treatment options and always treat you with an open mind.
Availability
One of the major problems we face as patients is access to the health professionals we need. The first question you should ask your doctor when diagnosed is what’s available for you in your area.
Factors such as insurance and a lack of programs are major hurdles. In the U.S., you cannot make an appointment with an RT under Medicare insurance guidelines, which often means more cost for the patient.
In Australia, respiratory therapy for COPD is carried out by physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, and specialist nurses. Initial pulmonary rehabilitation classes are subsidized with extended programs provided at the patient’s expense.
While this system is certainly better than others, it has its own problems with pulmonary rehabilitation classes not always operating and a lack of patient follow-up.
After talking to experts in their fields in the U.S., Australia, Europe and the U.K., the consensus seems to be that progress is being made in the areas of access to programs and health care professionals. For patients who don’t have access to any respiratory programs in their area, I would suggest you go online as many countries have foundations and associations with online resources that can be of great benefit.
