%0 Journal Article %A Megan Acho %A Eric Kriner %A Nicole N Sartain %A Souvik Chatterjee %A Junfeng Sun %A Burton W Lee %A Nitin Seam %T Impact of a Mechanical Ventilation Curriculum on Respiratory Therapist Recognition of Patient-Ventilator Asynchrony %D 2022 %R 10.4187/respcare.09903 %J Respiratory Care %P 1597-1602 %V 67 %N 12 %X BACKGROUND: Respiratory therapists (RTs) play a crucial role in managing mechanically ventilated patients, such as addressing patient-ventilator asynchronies that may contribute to patient harm. Waveform analysis is integral to the evaluation of patient-ventilator asynchronies; despite this, no published studies have assessed the ability of practicing RTs to interpret ventilator waveform abnormalities.METHODS: The study took place between June 2017–February 2019. Eighty-six RTs from 2 academic medical centers enrolled in a one-day mechanical ventilation course. The scores of 79 first-time attendees were included in the analysis. Prior to and following the course, RTs were asked to identify abnormalities on a 5-question, multiple-choice ventilator waveform exam. They were also asked to provide a self-assessment of their ventilator management skills on a 1 (complete novice) to 5 (expert) scale.RESULTS: Initial scores were low but improved after one day of ventilator instruction (19.4 ± 17.1 vs 29.6 ± 19.0, P < .001). No significant difference was noted in mean confidence levels between the pre- and post-course assessments (3.8 ± 0.9 vs 3.8 ± 1.0, P = .56). RTs with fewer years of clinical experience (0–10 y) had a statistically significant improvement in their post-course test scores relative to their pre-course scores (0–5 y: 12.5 ± 10.1 to 46.0 ± 10.8, P < .001; 6–10 y: 18.7 ± 15.8 to 32.1 ± 16.7, P = .02), whereas those with > 11 y of clinical experience did not (11–20 y: 22.4 ± 15.5 to 27.4 ± 19.0, P = .44; 21+ y: 19.6 ± 22.1 to 15.3 ± 13.8, P = .50).CONCLUSIONS: RTs may benefit from additional training in ventilator waveform interpretation, especially early in their clinical training. More work is needed to determine the optimal length and content of a mechanical ventilation curriculum for RTs. %U https://rc.rcjournal.com/content/respcare/67/12/1597.full.pdf