Quality assurance in allied healthcare education: A narrative review.

Introduction: There is no standard methodology for outlining the intricacies of allied healthcare education (AHE) or its quality. The profound misconception is that quality assurance (QA) in AHE is used on a "voluntary" basis. Given the absence of statutory regulatory mechanisms such as accreditation, validation, and audit by the peripheral agencies concerning QA, adoption of QA measures in AHE is not consistent, and it results in producing a subpar allied health workforce. This paper analyzes the need to include QA measures as an essential domain in evaluating the effectiveness of allied health professional education programs. Method: A large database search was performed using pertinent terms, and a blueprint was developed for a meticulous literature review published between 2015 and 2021. Five hundred eighty-two articles were found and screened; a critical appraisal was performed for 22 peer-reviewed articles for relevant information. Results: The literature review identified the need to use academic domains such as leadership, planning, delivery, and feedback as QA criteria to evaluate the efficiency of education and training in allied health professional education programs. Instructors and facilitators for specific knowledge and skill development and a description of their roles should also be used in QA evaluation. Conclusion: Resources for effective learning and teaching in the allied healthcare domain are limited. This review highlights the significant need to include a QA system in AHE, considering the pivotal role of these students in supporting humankind, now and in the future. The findings contribute to the research by providing essential insights into current trends and focusing on existing research in AHE quality.

A Cross-Sectional Survey of Practice Patterns and Selected Demographics of Respiratory Therapists in India.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory therapy was introduced to India in 1995. Respiratory therapists (RTs) work alongside doctors in hospitals. Of the 993 universities in India, a few have bachelor's or master's programs in respiratory therapy, but no studies have examined the demographics, geographical spread, or skills used by these RTs. This study assessed the demographics and services offered by RTs in India. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study based on a survey administered on paper, by telephone, or online. RTs were selected by convenience sampling from institutional databases and from WhatsApp groups of RTs in India, as well through snowball sampling of co-workers. A link to the online survey was shared on the author's personal social media channels. Of the invited RTs, 465 consented and participated; of those, 237 answered all questions. RESULTS: Of the 237 respondents completing the survey, 73% had bachelor's degree, 16.5% had a master's degree, 4.6% had a diploma, 2.5% had mixed qualifications, 1.7% had post graduate diploma, 0.8% had a certificate, 0.4% had a master of business administration degree, and 0.4% had a PhD degree. Almost all (96.6%) worked as an RT or in a job that required respiratory therapy knowledge. Although individuals may have had multiple job roles, 77.6% worked as a hospital staff RT. The least frequently performed competencies were recommending diagnostic procedures, using evidence-based principles, initiating and conducting patient and family education, and administering home care and pulmonary rehabilitation; the most frequently performed competencies were support oxygenation and ventilation, ensuring infection control, and maintaining a patent airway. CONCLUSIONS: Most subjects were employed in south India and had a bachelor's degree. They worked as staff RTs with a focus on the acute care environment. Pneumonia, asthma, COPD, and ARDS were the most commonly managed diseases. Competencies such as recommending procedures, planning and providing pulmonary rehabilitation, and administering home-based care were the least frequently performed.

Monitoring of inhaler use at home with a smartphone video application in a pilot study.

Inhalation therapy is the basis of the pharmacological management of asthma and COPD. Most patients are trained on the correct use of inhalers by health professionals but after that do patients continue to take them correctly at home remains largely unknown. Video recording of the inhalation technique using a smartphone can be used to evaluate the inhaler technique at home. Through this pilot study, we aimed to understand whether inhaler training given to patients in the outpatient clinic translates into good inhalation practices at home by a video application platform using a smartphone. We recruited 70 newly diagnosed asthma and COPD patients and a pulmonologist trained them to use their inhaler until they were able to use it correctly. Videos of inhaler use were captured by a relative or a friend at home and then sent to an independent reviewer via WhatsApp on Days 1, 7, 14 and 28 (±2). Each step of the inhaler technique was evaluated based on a predetermined checklist with a rating scale of 0 to 10 (10 for all steps done correctly). Out of 70 patients recruited, 30 (42%) sent all videos. We found that, although all patients performed all the steps correctly in the clinic, none of them performed all steps correctly at home even on Day 1 itself of the inhaler use. On Day 1, the steps score reduced from 10 to 6.9 with a downward trend until Day 28. The most common mistakes from Day 1 onwards were incorrect inspiratory flow rates and not gargling after the inhaler use. Also, most patients showed partially effective inhalation as per our scoring method. Remote video monitoring of inhaler use in the home environment is possible with a mobile video application that gives us a better insight into the most common inhaler mistakes performed by patients at home. Inhaler errors start appearing immediately on Day 1 after the training, and incorrect inspiratory flow rates and forgetting to do gargles are common errors. Early detection of inhaler errors at home may be possible through this method.