The Infection Preventionist’s Guide to Understanding Respiratory Therapy

Session Description: The COVID-19 pandemic had placed a renewed emphasis across the healthcare continuum with preventing infection and saving patient lives who are ill with acute and chronic pulmonary conditions. The prompt initiation of life-saving respiratory therapy with non-invasive and invasive modalities can pose a secondary harm risk e.g., bioaerosol generation, that is potentially laden with pathogens, to Healthcare Personnel (HCP) and others.

Additionally, HCP providing respiratory care treatment modalities such as intubation, administering aerosolized medications, airway suctioning, and tracheostomy care can pose a varying infection risk to the patient. Infection prevention and control breakdowns with hand hygiene, personal protective equipment use, suboptimal aseptic technique, insufficient staffing, not being up to date with recommended vaccines, and the lack of health equity awareness can all result in patient harm. These harms carry the potential for increasing morbidity, mortality, and a facility outbreak.

Regardless of the practice setting, the infection preventionist (IP) must have a detailed acumen with safely operationalizing the various therapeutic respiratory services, equipment, and devices. The application is coupled with having a thorough understanding of the required cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of noncritical, semicritical, and critical respiratory support equipment. Inadequate processing can serve as a pathogen reservoir that can be transmitted to future patients while receiving respiratory therapy care services.

This session will proactively provide the infection preventionist with a comprehensive understanding of respiratory therapy services, with a focus on the infection prevention implications. Key process and outcome surveillance methodologies will be reviewed. The importance of proper cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization will be discussed. Clinical guidance will be provided to bolster knowledge in the clinical area to promote both patient and staff safety and optimal clinical outcomes. Perspectives from an IP with a respiratory therapy background and a second IP with a critical care nursing background will be offered.