2004 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
1RESPIRATORY THERAPY PROGRAM DIRECTORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR PROGRAMS’CONSISTENCY WITH THE MATRIX OF THE NATIONAL ASTHMA EDUCATION CERTIFICATION BOARD (NAECB) AND THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE (GOLD) GUIDELINES.
Timothy B. Op’t Holt, Ed.D,
R.R.T., AE-C, F.A.A.R.C. University of South Alabama,
Cardiorespiratory Care, Mobile, AL.
Background:
Respiratory therapy curricula include content to prepare graduates to
treat patients with asthma and COPD. While graduates can perform the
skills necessary to treat these patients during an exacerbation,
their ability to function as asthma and COPD disease managers is
uncertain. I determined the extent to which curriculum content
dealing with asthma and COPD management is included in contemporary
respiratory therapy programs. The research question was: to what
extent is the material on the examination matrix of the NAECB and
within the GOLD guidelines included at the cognitive and psychomotor
levels in the curriculum of respiratory therapy programs?
Methods:
Respondents were asked to complete a four-part survey containing 93
statements consistent with the NAECB matrix and GOLD guidelines. The
respondents indicated the extent to which their program curriculum
included the content of the statement. The survey was distributed to
275 respiratory therapy program directors by selecting three out of
four entries in order from the Committee on Accreditation in
Respiratory Care (CoARC) listing. The responses from the useable
returns were transferred to scantron sheets and the frequencies and
percentages of each response were reported.
Results:
Seventy-nine useable responses were analyzed. The data represented
the percentage of respondents who indicated their curriculum includes
this information at the cognitive level, or cognitive and psychomotor
levels, or neither level.
Discussion/Conclusions: The depth of
understanding of asthma and COPD expected by the NAECB and outlined
by the GOLD guidelines are a challenge to respiratory therapy
educators. Respiratory therapy programs are justifiably occupied with
the breadth and depth of knowledge required to pass NBRC
examinations, but not the detail required of the NAECB or GOLD.
Continuing education would include a deeper understanding of asthma
and COPD, patient assessment, assessing the patients’abilities
to self-manage, psychosocial issues, and organizational issues. A
more diverse faculty and additional time will be required to prepare
respiratory therapy graduates to function in these roles.