Respiratory care research is the systematic study of the effects of various interventions on the respiratory system. This can include anything from studying the effects of different medications to investigating new methods of ventilation.
Research in this field is essential in order to develop new and improved treatment modalities for respiratory conditions.
This article will provide an overview of respiratory care research, its importance, and some of the key areas of investigation.
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What is the Importance of Research in Healthcare?
Research is essential in healthcare in order to ensure that the latest and most effective treatments are being used to treat patients.
Without research, medical treatments would remain static and outdated, which could lead to suboptimal patient outcomes.
In addition, research helps to identify new areas of investigation and potential treatments for respiratory conditions. This is important because respiratory conditions are constantly evolving, and new discoveries about the respiratory system are being made all the time.
What are the Key Areas of Respiratory Care Research?
There are many different areas of investigation within respiratory care research. Some key areas include:
- The effects of different medications on the respiratory system
- The efficacy of new and emerging treatments for respiratory conditions
- The use of technology in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions
- The impact of different environments on the respiratory system
- The role of genetics in the development of respiratory conditions
Each of these areas of research is important in its own right and has the potential to improve the care that patients with respiratory conditions receive.
Respiratory Care Research Practice Questions:
1. What can be used to conduct literature reviews?
Books, online databases, portals, and electronic journals
2. What are the three basic missions of academic medicine?
Heal, teach, and discover
3. Who are the stakeholders in research?
Researchers, administrators, clinicians, and educators
4. Who needs the ability to assess the usefulness of new equipment and treatments?
Clinicians
5. Who needs the ability to find, summarize, and present evidence for clinical activities?
Educators
6. Who needs to evaluate the quality of services and the validity of policies and procedures?
Administrators
7. Who needs to be able to generate new ideas that inform the other stakeholders?
Researchers
8. What skill do most stakeholders have in common?
The ability to read and evaluate scientific reports
9. What do bibliographic databases contain?
They contain books, book chapters, reports, citations, abstracts, and either the full text of the articles indexed or links to the full text.
10. What is the most popular bibliographic database?
PubMed
The Egan's book is known as the "Bible of Respiratory" and is highly recommended.
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A set of computerized records or data which have been reviewed, interpreted, and categorized in relation to an area of research
12. What delivers only the most clinically reputable content intended for practicing medical clinicians?
SearchMedica
13. What is a benefit of synthesized databases?
They assist in finding better evidence without as much research being needed through Bibliographic databases.
14. What is a webpage that acts as a starting point for using the web or web-based services?
Portals
15. What is a good research topic for beginning respiratory therapists, and why?
New devices, because they are inexpensive and may be donated to increase research numbers; also, they do not require institutional review board approval
16. What are some examples of bibliographic software?
EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero
17. What are some factors that affect feasibility?
Measurability, availability (research subjects), duration (how long is the study), significance (what is the importance), and knowledge (people conducting research)
18. What is a research protocol?
A detailed series of steps that lets the researcher know the order in which to administer the study and provides a script of what the researcher should say and do
19. What is the structure of a research article?
Abstract/summary, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion/conclusion, and references
20. What is a condensed version of a research paper that appears at the beginning of a publication?
The abstract
21. How big is a poster?
In general, posters are 4 feet by 6 feet.
22. What is the typical word range of a research paper?
Research papers are usually in the range of 2,000-3,000 words, depending on the journal.
23. What are the parts of a scientific paper?
Introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion.
24. What is a brief description of why the study was done, its importance, and the hypothesis?
The introduction
25. Which section explains what has been done to answer questions about the research or test the hypothesis?
Methods
26. What is the data gathered from experiments?
The results
27. What section should interpret the results from previous studies’ conclusions?
The discussion
28. What section should be briefly explained to include the reason why alternative interpretations would be rejected?
The conclusion
29. Research reviews are done by how many people?
They are usually done by 2 or 3 peer reviewers.
30. What is PubMed?
A computerized database operated by the National Libraries of Medicine that allows one to search many of the world’s science resources
31. What are the categories of research?
Quantitative and qualitative
32. What is quantitative research?
Data collected for numerical analysis
33. What is qualitative research?
Research that increases the understanding of “why”
34. What is descriptive research?
Observes and describes associations between exposures and outcomes
35. What is analytic research?
Investigates relationships and tests hypotheses; it is also known as “explanatory” research
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36. What are portals?
Web pages that users launch when they first log on to the web
37. What is found in the introduction of a scientific paper?
The research problem or hypothesis
38. What is found in the methods section?
Details about the experiment and how the hypothesis is tested
39. What is found in the results section of a scientific paper?
Data from the experiments
40. What is found in the discussion section of a scientific paper?
How the results answer the research problem
41. What is found in the conclusion of a scientific paper?
Reasons for rejecting alternate interpretations
42. What is the purpose of having a research plan?
To clarify the goals of the study and the methods for the investigation, and also to provide a guide for the entire research team
43. What is an example of a synthesized database?
Cochrane collaboration
44. What is the purpose of interviewing a patient?
To establish a rapport between the clinician and patient, to obtain information essential for making a diagnosis, and to help monitor changes in the patient’s symptoms and response to therapy
45. Where should a patient be interviewed?
In their personal space
46. What happens in the social space?
Your introduction to the patient; then you can proceed to their personal space
47. What is a bibliographic database?
A database that indexes publishing data for books, periodical articles, government reports, statistics, patents, research reports, conference proceedings, and dissertations
48. What is a hypothesis?
A supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation
49. What are the three primary ways that research can be determined?
Abstracts, poster presentations, and papers in peer-reviewed medical journals
50. What is often considered to be the most rigorous type of study design to prove the efficacy of treatment?
The randomized controlled clinical trial
Final Thoughts
Respiratory care research is an important and growing field of investigation. With new technologies and treatments being developed all the time, there is a constant need for research in this area in order to ensure that patients with respiratory conditions receive the best possible care.
In the future, it is likely that research in this field will continue to focus on the use of new and emerging technologies in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions. In addition, there may be a greater focus on the role of genetics in the development of respiratory conditions.
Written by:
John Landry, BS, RRT
John Landry is a registered respiratory therapist from Memphis, TN, and has a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. He enjoys using evidence-based research to help others breathe easier and live a healthier life.
References
- Faarc, Kacmarek Robert PhD Rrt, et al. Egan’s Fundamentals of Respiratory Care. 12th ed., Mosby, 2020.
- “Past, Present and Future of Respiratory Research: A Survey of Canadian Health Care Professionals.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4596650.
- Chatburn, Robert. “Overview of Respiratory Care Research.” PubMed, Oct. 2004, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15447795.