Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Respir Care. 2012 Mar;57(3):370-6. doi: 10.4187/respcare.01093. Epub 2011 Oct 12.
Respiratory therapist (RT) is a nascent career in China, so little information is available about intensive care unit (ICU) respiratory care resources and practices, requirements for RTs, and barriers to recruit RTs.
Using survey methodology, we designed and mailed a questionnaire to ICU supervisors and staffs at all 106 ICUs within 46 tertiary and university-affiliated hospitals in Beijing.
We obtained responses from 72 of 106 ICUs. There were 644 ICU beds, 18 RTs, 464 physicians, and 1,362 nurses in these 72 ICUs. The ratios of invasive and noninvasive ventilators to beds were 0.7/1 and 0.31/1. Nineteen ICUs were not equipped with noninvasive ventilators; 18 had started using noninvasive ventilation only within the last 5 years; 9 had only nasal cannulas for conventional oxygen therapy. Of 194 responders, 57.8% implemented spontaneous breathing trial before extubation; 23.7% never monitored airway temperature while using heated humidifier; 56.7% changed circuits once a week; and 20.6% every 1-3 days. The survey indicated that 91.2% had heard of the profession of RT before, mostly by attending academic conferences; 86.1% believed respiratory care should be provided by RTs. Due to the paucity of trained RTs, only 9.7% (7/72) ICUs had actually recruited RTs. The specific tasks supposed to be assigned to RTs were mechanical ventilation, chest physiotherapy, and airway care.
ICU respiratory care equipment and the knowledge to use them are insufficient. Important differences exist in respiratory care practice, which is mostly provided by nurses and physicians. RTs have been gradually recognized and accepted by ICU staff, while professional training and education are needed.
呼吸治疗师（RT）是中国的一个新兴职业，因此关于重症监护病房（ICU）呼吸治疗资源和实践、对 RT 的要求以及招聘 RT 的障碍等信息很少。
我们采用调查方法，设计并邮寄问卷给北京 46 所大学附属医院的 106 个 ICU 的主管和工作人员。
我们从 106 个 ICU 中获得了 72 个的回复。这 72 个 ICU 共有 644 张 ICU 病床、18 名 RT、464 名医生和 1362 名护士。有创和无创呼吸机与床位的比例分别为 0.7/1 和 0.31/1。19 个 ICU 没有配备无创呼吸机；18 个 ICU 在过去 5 年内才开始使用无创通气；9 个 ICU 仅使用鼻导管进行常规氧疗。在 194 名应答者中，57.8%在拔管前进行自主呼吸试验；23.7%在使用热湿交换器时从不监测气道温度；56.7%每周更换一次回路；20.6%每 1-3 天更换一次。调查显示，91.2%的人在之前听说过 RT 这个职业，主要是通过参加学术会议；86.1%的人认为呼吸治疗应由 RT 提供。由于缺乏经过培训的 RT，只有 9.7%（7/72）的 ICU 实际上招聘了 RT。分配给 RT 的具体任务是机械通气、胸部物理治疗和气道护理。
ICU 呼吸治疗设备和使用这些设备的知识不足。呼吸治疗实践存在重要差异，主要由护士和医生提供。RT 已经逐渐得到 ICU 工作人员的认可和接受，而专业培训和教育是必要的。
