RTH 131 Introduction

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RTH 131 Introduction

• Health Care Expense
• Respiratory Cares Role
• Medical Terminology/Abbreviations

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Health Care Money Where Does it Come From
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Healthcare Money Where does it go
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Respiratory Care (Definition)

• A relatively new specialty which has emerged in
  past 20 yrs. (has existed as an entity for over
  50 yrs.) to diagnose and treat persons with
  cardiopulmonary disorders such as asthma,
  bronchitis, emphysema, and other forms of
  obstructive and restrictive diseases

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Roles and Functions of RCPs Respiratory Therapist

• RRT or RRT(E)
• Serves as a resource to the physician and health
  care staff
• Functions in situations of unsupervised patient
  contact requiring great individual judgment and
  is capable of supervising, directing, or teaching
  less-skilled personnel
• Assesses patients need for resp. care
• Coordinates preparation of resp. equipment

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RRT, (Cont.)

• Administers care according to prescription
• Evaluates patients response and modifies care to
  obtain max. benefits
• Supervises overall resp. care of patient
• Documents treatment rendered and patient response
  in progress notes
• Makes recommendations for modifications in
  patients care

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Certified Respiratory Therapist

• CRT (as of July, 1999)
• Administers resp. care in accordance with the
  educational preparation that has provided such an
  individual with a lesser degree of specialized
  skill, knowledge, education, or training than
  that required of a RRT
• Assembles and prepares equipment for use
• Administers care, noncritical care settings

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Respiratory Care Assistant

• One who has received on-the-job training in resp.
  care
• State licensure has limited this position

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Health Care Team Members Physician

• Usually coordinator of the team
• Directs development of patient care efforts
• Prescribes treatment
• Serves as instructor of other team members
• Supervises overall patient care
• Serves as medical director for Respiratory Care
  Department

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Registered Nurse

• Coordinates patient care efforts among team
  members
• Insures uniform and quality care
• Carries out physicians orders
• Assists respiratory therapy personnel, as
  required, to complete a procedure

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Other Health Team Members

• Radiologic Technologist
• Registered Physical Therapist
• Medical Laboratory Technician/Technologist
• Social Worker
• Registered Dietitian

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Hospital Organization
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Respiratory Care Service Organization
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Medical Terminology

• Definition words formed from combining word
  roots, suffixes, and prefixes
• Word Root basic stem word that usually comes
  from Greek or Latin
• Prefix consists of one or two syllables placed
  before a word to modify its meaning
• Suffix consists of one or two syllables to the
  end of a word to modify its meaning

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Medical Abbreviations

• See handout
• Examples
• ac, pc
• bid, tid, qid, q2h, q4h, qd, qod
• prn
• stat