Thanks to RRTS

Re: COVID care

Many thanks and blessings should be extended to the marvellous Canadian registered respiratory therapists (rrt). There are about 15,000 rrts who have provided exceptional care to patients and their families (COVID-19 and otherwise) in the most extenuating of clinical workplace circumstances.

These professionals receive little acknowledgment for performing the most dangerous of aerosol generating medical procedures including ventilator therapy, intubation, extubation and a host of others. This has been successfully achieved in a workplace environment short of quality domestic PPE, varying phases of disrupted vaccination rollout and constantly changing medical science on best practices to manage patients.

All hospital and community-based RRTs should be commended for their sustaining commitment to patient and family centred-care during their 12-hour shifts of heavy workloads. To those RRTs who came back from retirement to help our communities with contact tracing services when the call for help went out, thank you!

Bryan Buell, Calgary