Lung ultrasound in respiratory therapy: a global reflective survey.

BACKGROUND: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a non-invasive point of care diagnostic tool used to assess the presence and severity of various lung disorders for more than two decades. Within the healthcare professionals are the respiratory therapists (RTs) who play a vital role in managing ventilated and other patients requiring respiratory support, but the incorporation of LUS into their scope of practice has not been well highlighted. This international cross-sectional survey was specifically designed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of RTs with respect to LUS. METHODS: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted among RTs from different parts of the world using a questionnaire-based study tool. 514 RTs responded to all the questions and were considered for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics, Analysis of variance, Fisher's exact, Chi-square, Bonferroni post-hoc analysis, and Binomial logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the significance of the data. RESULTS: From 22 countries, 514 RTs responded to the survey, with the major share from the middle eastern countries. Out of the 514 responders, 44.9% of the responders were in the age group of 23-30 years; 67.1% were bachelor's degree holders; and 40.9% of participants had more than 10 years of experience. The knowledge-based questions revealed that RTs with higher experience and academic qualification provided more positive responses. While in the attitude-related domain it is observed that standardized training in LUS helps them to enhance the current practice and to add LUS to the academic curriculum of respiratory therapy schools; however there remains barriers to practice LUS based on their responses. The practice-based questions revealed that RTs expect some additional seminars/workshops/webinars to be done on LUS frequently. More than half of the participants are found to be knowledgeable with a positive attitude and working towards the inclusion of LUS in respiratory therapy profession. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that respiratory therapists have a positive attribute towards the inclusion of lung ultrasound in their clinical practice. Providing more structured training for professional respiratory therapists and including lung ultrasound modules in the respiratory therapy school curriculum may facilitate mastering their diagnostic skills, thereby expanding the scope of practice.

Validation of a structured questionnaire to assess the perception and satisfaction of respiratory therapy students toward career prospects and learning resources.

Background: Respiratory therapy is an emerging profession that has existed in India since 1995. Respiratory therapy students will play a significant role in strengthening various aspects of healthcare in the future. There are no validated instruments to evaluate students' perceptions of their careers and satisfaction with the learning resources. The primary objective of the current study is to develop and validate a structured questionnaire (SQ) for respiratory therapy students in India, encompassing all the components of their career development and satisfaction. Methods: Based on the literature review and content validity from respiratory therapy experts through multiple focused group discussions, a reliable SQ was generated with 40 items based on the Likert scale. After getting institutional ethics clearance and informed consent, the SQ was administered to 904 respiratory therapy students across the country. We performed principal component analysis (PCA), structural equation modeling, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the global fit. Cronbach's alpha was performed to estimate the internal consistency. Results: The PCA generated a 4-factor model, and internal consistency for the total scale exceeded the standard criterion of >0.70. Satisfactory goodness of fit data were yielded from CFA. Average variances extracted were higher than the correlation coefficients of the factors, which show sufficient discriminant validity. Conclusion: This study shows a clinically acceptable model, it fits and suggests the possibility of applying a SQ to a respiratory therapy student with relatively good construct validity and internal consistency, based on the results of CFA.

Respiratory Care Profession in Yemen: Past, Present, and Future.

The respiratory care (RC) discipline in Yemen emerged 15 years ago. Although there have been significant advancements in the domain, no documented history is available regarding its development and progress over the years. This paper highlights the history and development of the RC field in Yemen and highlights the major events that took place during these times that shaped the development of the RC discipline. A detailed, comprehensive review and assessment were conducted through direct communication, personal interviews, and the review of existing documents in the hospital's archives, academic institutes, Ministry of Public Health and Population, and other relevant resources. The gathered data were evaluated for relevance and grouped on a thematic basis. So far, this is the first paper on the comprehensive history and development of the RC discipline in Yemen. How to cite this article: Hamilah SN, Ahmari MAI, Alsabri MA, Alrubaiee GG. Respiratory Care Profession in Yemen: Past, Present, and Future. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(8):890-895.

Intersession repeatability of acoustic rhinometry measurements in healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVES: Acoustic rhinometry is a rapid, reliable and non-invasive technique for the evaluation of conditions associated with impaired nasal patency. This study aimed to examine the intersession repeatability of acoustic rhinometry measurements of unilateral and combined nasal parameters in a group of healthy volunteers. METHODS: Twenty healthy volunteers were studied. In each subject, acoustic rhinometry measurements were performed on five consecutive days, with multiple recordings. Five clinically relevant parameters were measured in each session and the intersession repeatability of these measurements was expressed in terms of mean coefficient of variation, intraclass correlation coefficient and inter-item correlations. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation coefficients showed a high, and greater repeatability over time for all the combined (mean) values compared to the unilateral values. All intraclass correlations for combined values were ≥0.80 confirming almost perfect agreement. All intraclass correlations and inter-item correlations were associated with P<0.001. The mean coefficient of variation was low (<10%) for all but the proximal minimum cross sectional area (MCA1) measurements. CONCLUSION: Acoustic rhinometry provides highly repeatable measurements of nasal patency, which is best for combined (mean) nasal parameters. This property makes it suitable for use in the diagnosis and follow-up of conditions associated with nasal obstruction, either structural or functional.

Mastoid cells myiasis in a Saudi man: a case report.

We report here the case of myiasis of the mastoid cells in a 50-year old Saudi farmer. Eight larvae of suspected Calliphorid fly were extracted from his right mastoid at examination in the clinic. The larvae almost ate into his brain, using their powerful screw-shaped mouth parts. It is the first report of Calliphorid larvae affecting the mastoid cells from Saudi Arabia. The epidemiological and clinical implications of this finding are discussed below.