Asante Charles, Shaheen Razaz, Lopez David, Honny Dorothy, Laryea Clement, Alismail Abdullah
Cardiopulmonary Sciences, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, USA.
Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, USA.
Cureus. 2024 Oct 2;16(10):e70718. doi: 10.7759/cureus.70718. eCollection 2024 Oct.
The respiratory therapy (RT) profession in Ghana is a new and emerging field. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess and evaluate the RT profession as a needs assessment to help policymakers and key stakeholders shape the profession in Ghana.
We conducted a cross-sectional study approved by the Institutional Review Board at Loma Linda University. Participants included RTs, RT students, faculty, physicians, nurses, and midwives, who were recruited via email, WhatsApp, and snowball sampling. Data were collected through an anonymous survey consisting of demographic, professional, and attitudinal questions. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics and inferential tests, employing IBM Corp. Released 2023. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 29.0.2.0 Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
A total of 195 participants were involved in the study from Ghana, with 83 men (42.6%) and 112 women (57.4%), with an average age of 32.33 (SD ± 8.83) years. A majority (56.4%) held bachelor's degrees, with nurses (35.9%) and physicians (21.9%) forming the largest professional groups. The survey found that 64.2% of participants acknowledged a high demand for RTs, yet interaction with RTs was limited due to their limited availability in the region. Notably, 86.8% were familiar with nebulizers, and 80.6% with Ambu bags. The study also highlighted significant challenges in the profession, including overwhelming workloads (64.3%), lack of recognition (100%), and resource shortages. Asthma emerged as the top respiratory condition treated by RTs. The Net Promoter Score for the respiratory therapy profession, at 26.92, demonstrates a moderately positive response, suggesting an increasing need for enhanced interest among professionals in the field of respiratory therapy in Ghana.
To our knowledge, this was the first needs assessment study that evaluated the field of the RT profession in Ghana. The findings indicate robust support for the necessity, development, and expansion of the RT field in the country. Future prospective studies are recommended to further evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the RT profession on patient care outcomes.
加纳的呼吸治疗专业是一个新兴领域。因此，本研究的目的是对呼吸治疗专业进行评估，作为需求评估，以帮助政策制定者和关键利益相关者塑造加纳的这一专业。
我们开展了一项横断面研究，该研究得到了洛马林达大学机构审查委员会的批准。参与者包括呼吸治疗师、呼吸治疗专业学生、教员、医生、护士和助产士，通过电子邮件、WhatsApp和滚雪球抽样的方式招募。通过一项由人口统计学、专业和态度问题组成的匿名调查收集数据。我们使用描述性统计和推断性测试对数据进行分析，采用IBM公司2023年发布的《适用于Windows的IBM SPSS Statistics，版本29.0.2.0》（纽约州阿蒙克：IBM公司）。
共有195名来自加纳的参与者参与了该研究，其中男性83人（42.6%），女性112人（57.4%），平均年龄为32.33岁（标准差±8.83）。大多数人（56.4%）拥有学士学位，护士（35.9%）和医生（21.9%）构成了最大的专业群体。调查发现，64.2%的参与者承认对呼吸治疗师有很高的需求，但由于该地区呼吸治疗师数量有限，与他们的互动受到限制。值得注意的是，86.8%的人熟悉雾化器，80.6%的人熟悉复苏面罩。该研究还强调了该专业面临的重大挑战，包括工作量过大（64.3%）、缺乏认可（100%）和资源短缺。哮喘成为呼吸治疗师治疗的首要呼吸系统疾病。呼吸治疗专业的净推荐值为26.92，表明反应较为积极，这表明加纳呼吸治疗领域的专业人员越来越需要增强兴趣。
据我们所知，这是第一项评估加纳呼吸治疗专业领域的需求评估研究。研究结果表明，对该国呼吸治疗领域的必要性、发展和扩张给予了有力支持。建议未来进行前瞻性研究，以进一步评估呼吸治疗专业对患者护理结果的影响和效果。
