An Approach to Train the Non-Respiratory Therapy Health Care Professionals on the Essentials of Respiratory Care during the COVID-19 Crisis

ABSTRACT

Background: The impacts of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) were limited not only to clinical mortality and morbidity but also to the shortage of qualified intensive care professionals, such as respiratory therapists (RTs). To overcome the acute shortage of RTs, the corporate academic affairs of the Abu Dhabi Health Services, Co. (SEHA) instituted a series of training workshops to teach the essentials of respiratory care. Methodology: Over a 1-month period, a series of 1-and 2-day workshops were conducted for healthcare professionals, including anesthesia technologists, nurses, physicians, and physiotherapists, according to their skill levels. The workshops included core practices of respiratory care, so that the professionals could support the RTs in intensive care units. The course content was delivered as the-oretical and practical modules. The training outcomes were assessed subjectively by a competency checklist completed by the trainee during the practical sessions;in addition, pre-and posttest assess-ments were conducted to statistically evaluate the training outcomes. Results: The educational intervention was effective in improving the knowledge of the 118 health-care professionals who received a mean pretest score of 12.25 ± 4.147 and a mean posttest score of 17.71 ± 2.415 (p < 0.05). Analyses of pre-and posttest scores of each individual professional group were also statistically significant (p < 0.05 for each). Conclusion: This project’s clinical and statistical outcomes were effective. Our project showed that a skilled professional shortage crisis during a pandemic can be compensated to some extent by training related healthcare professionals as a supporting task force. © 2022, American University of Beirut. All rights reserved.