Description

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The Respiratory Therapist as Disease Manager serves as a concise, yet informative, knowledge base for disease management in the practice of respiratory therapy. Written for both students and practicing clinicians, this a foundational resource for the Respiratory Therapist who desires to augment their acute care and technical skills with a knowledge base that will enable them to competently perform the duties of a Pulmonary Disease Manager. Fully equipped with case management, patient-education, and self-management content, there is no other textbook like this on the market. The Respiratory Therapist as Disease Manager promotes the concept of behavioral modification in patients through education in conjunction with counseling. Education in and of itself is necessary but not sufficient to increase a patient's ability to manage their chronic disease and thus optimize their quality of life. A more advanced knowledge of chronic respiratory diseases, such as pulmonary hypertension, is presented and focuses on those aspects of each disorder which are relevant to the practice of disease management, such as epidemiology, clinical considerations, and patient education as well as counseling. Factors that are essential to disease management, such as patient adherence to treatment regimens, are discussed as well as specific strategies to resolve self-management inadequacies. The Respiratory Therapist as Disease Manager fills the void of the respiratory therapy curriculum where disease management will be a core competency.