Implementation of a Research Task Force to Increase Respiratory Therapist Involvement in Research

Background: Evidenced-Based Medicine is essential to improving patient outcomes and enhancing medical practice throughout the healthcare industry. Respiratory Care (RC) is a technology-driven profession that is constantly evolving with provider knowledge related to research skills becoming imperative.1,2 By creating a Research Task Force (RTF), our Respiratory Care Department (RCD) intended to involve more Respiratory Therapists in research. We aimed to assess productivity of the RTF since inception at our institution. Methods: An IRB approved retrospective review was completed to assess research productivity from 2018-2020. Variables for analysis included the number of; CITI/IRB trained members, animal studies, publications, practice changes from research, unique authors, and non-productive hours. Results: By utilizing a RC RTF, our department saw an increase in CITI/IRB trained members, involvement in animal studies, total accepted publications, practice changes driven by research and unique authors (Figure 1). These results stemmed from the addition of approximately 20 non-productive hours in 2018, 250 non-productive hours in 2019, and 115 non-productive hours in 2020. Despite a 54% decrease in non-productive hours due to COVID-19 in 2020, our RCD saw an increase in research productivity. Conclusions: Many RTs who study at an undergraduate level receive little to no training in research, even though this is an essential aspect of our ever-evolving field. By establishing a RTF within our RCD, we were able to improve research related productivity. Futher research must be done to evaluate the impact of staff based research programs and the impact on career development, engagement, and patient outcomes within respiratory care.References:1. Kallet, R. (2020). Developing a research program within a respiratory care department. Respiratory Care, 65(3), 388-399.2. Hess, D. (2004). What is evidenced-based medicine and why should I care? Respiratory Care, 49(7), 730-741.