Respiratory care practices and requirements for respiratory therapists in Beijing intensive care units

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.