Agnieszka Lewko

A core syllabus for post-graduate training in respiratory physiotherapy

Physiotherapy contributes significantly to improving quality of life for patients with respiratory disease [1, 2]. Physiotherapists specialised in dealing with respiratory pathology and its associated problems are not only central in the delivery of pulmonary rehabilitation but also provide strategies and techniques for exercise testing, airway clearance, breathlessness management, mobility and function improvement and pain management [2]. Published evidence-based recommendations have paved the way for standardised practice [1–6] while also unravelling the extended scope of responsibilities of the respiratory physiotherapist [7]. The breakdown of traditional roles and allocation of new responsibilities is not confined to the respiratory physiotherapist within healthcare systems. Team-based healthcare and interprofessional treatment of patients is prevalent in the provision of care across the globe. New methods of healthcare delivery indicate that tasks are entrusted to those deemed competent to perform them [8]. It has therefore been necessary to train allied health professionals to take over parts of clinical care [9]. Mobility of the healthcare workforce has been at the forefront of discussion among healthcare providers and policy makers [10]. We now live in a “global village” [11], the consequence of which has seen a marked increase in health professionals completing part of their training and work experience abroad [10]. In this transition to international healthcare, more and more institutions, countries and regions will need standards to meet public, patient and healthcare provider expectations. This reform in medical practice is thus motivated by the breakdown of traditional roles and responsibilities within the healthcare system [12], increasing trends towards mobility [13] and more complex patient needs. These motivators for change have emphasised a new reality for healthcare systems bounded by a skilled healthcare …

Development of a syllabus for postgraduate respiratory physiotherapy education: the Respiratory Physiotherapy HERMES project.

Best practice in the diagnosis and management of patients with respiratory conditions is now a multidisciplinary effort [1, 2]. Physiotherapists engage in many aspects of the care of patients with respiratory diseases. Across a range of diseases, ages and settings, they carry out highly specialised treatments related to mucus clearance, breathing exercises, invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, exercise training and rehabilitation, as well as reintegration of patients with respiratory disorders. Their tasks span from the neonatal intensive care unit to the palliative care unit of geriatric patients. Over the past decades, respiratory physiotherapists across the world have published research in all these fields feeding into the evidence base that underpins much of the care provided by these professionals. Physiotherapy practice has also evolved over the past few decades. Self-referral by service users (patients) is now possible in approximately half of the European member states of the World Confederation on Physiotherapy [3]. This requires highly trained health professionals capable of assessing, treating, referring and reintegrating patients. In patients with respiratory conditions, this is often performed in the context of a multidisciplinary team. The Respiratory Physiotherapy HERMES project aims to standardise treatment of patients within and beyond Europe http://ow.ly/L1e72