Respiratory compromise is increasingly being recognized as a preventable cause of death in the nation’s hospitals. A new coalition has just been formed to advance patient safety initiatives in the area, and the AARC is on board.
Founded by the National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory Care (NAMDRC), the Respiratory Compromise Institute will work to develop a standardized patient risk assessment tool, require electronic monitoring for high-risk patients, improve continuous training of clinicians, and increase the understanding of medical conditions that can lead to respiratory compromise.
Joining the AARC and NAMDRC on the Institute’s Clinical Advisory Committee are the American College of Emergency Physicians, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Society of Hospital Medicine.
“Preventing or mitigating decompensation is critical because nearly any patient could be at risk,” NAMDRC President and Clinical Advisory Committee Chair Tim Morris, MD, was quoted as saying. “One minute you have a patient who is doing fine and within a few minutes the patient rapidly deteriorates to a dangerous point of no return. In many cases, if we could detect this deterioration earlier, we could prevent the need for massive intervention.”
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