INTRODUCTION

As our population ages and people desire to age in place at home, community respiratory therapy becomes increasingly important. The purpose of this Professional Practice Guideline (PPG) is to support Respiratory Therapists (RTs) who work in a community setting, which may include patients’ homes, long-term care and congregate living, primary care, and specialist physician practices. Community practice enables RTs to apply their specialized body of Respiratory Therapy knowledge and skills to the treatment and management of a diverse patient population in a range of unique settings. Community practice encompasses the provision of RT services outside of a hospital setting, including, but not limited to:

RTs who practice in the community often face different opportunities and challenges than their colleagues working in hospitals. A key distinction is the uniquely autonomous nature of community practice, which requires RTs working in that setting to be self-directed and possess a high degree of professional competency. This is because RTs in the community are regularly required to independently make important care decisions and act in accordance with organizational policies and their own personal knowledge and judgement. RTs working in the community are also often responsible for the safe keeping of clients’ personal health information and setting their own daily schedules and therefore, must be disciplined and have well established organizational skills.

The fact that community care is often provided in the patient’s/client’s place of residence and/or over a prolonged period of time alters the nature of the professional relationship. Clients and their families may play a more integral role in directing care in the community, which requires the RT to employ a person-centred care approach to meet the patients’ and their families’ unique personal situations, needs and goals. Lengthy interactions between the RT and the patient/family member can also make it more challenging to maintain appropriate professional boundaries and avoid such things as interpersonal issues and conflicts of interest.

The information contained in this PPG covers a wide range of topics that relate specifically, although not exclusively, to community RT practice. It is important to note that all RTs, regardless of practice location, are required to maintain and uphold the Standards of Practice of the profession established by the CRTO, as well as all relevant legislation and regulations.

NOTE: For the purposes of this practice guideline the term client is used to refer to both a patient and/or client