Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) has worked in partnership with the University of Southampton, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust to develop a free Respiratory Physiotherapy elearning programme to support physiotherapists treating patients with respiratory conditions, including COVID-19.
The sessions are designed to support existing and newly qualified physiotherapists who want to update their respiratory knowledge and skills to help prepare them for working in daily and emergency out of hours respiratory care.
The programme includes an introduction to respiratory assessment and the clinical reasoning process, plus more detailed modules about auscultation, chest x-rays and arterial blood gas analysis, which play a significant part in assessment and help to analyse a patient’s respiratory problems.
Further topics covered are:
- Oxygen therapy
- Humidification
- Manual techniques
- Active Cycle of Breathing Technique (ACBT)
- Incentive spirometry
- Suction
- Tracheostomies
- Intermittent Positive Pressure Breathing (IPPB)
- Mechanical insufflation: exsufflation MI:E cough assist
- Non-invasive ventilation.
There is also a paediatric module which covers the differences in anatomy and physiology when assessing and treating an infant.
For more information about the programme, including details on how to access, please visit: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/respiratory-physiotherapy/.