TABLE 2.
Responsibility for ventilation and weaning decisions by health professionals
| Key mechanical ventilation decisions | Health professionals n (%) | Total n (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physician directors (n=14) | Nurse managers (n=11) | Respiratory therapist managers (n=22) | ||
| Initial ventilator settings | ||||
| Physician only | 5 (35.71) | 4 (36.36) | 2 (9.09) | 11 (23.40) |
| Collaborative | 7 (50.00) | 4 (36.36) | 15 (68.18) | 26 (55.32) |
| Respiratory therapists only | 2 (14.29) | 3 (27.27) | 5 (22.73) | 10 (21.28) |
| Nurses only | - | - | - | - |
| P-value | 1.00 | 0.20 | 0.02* | - |
| Titration of ventilator settings | ||||
| Physician only | 1 (7.15) | 1 (9.09) | - | 2 (4.26) |
| Collaborative | 12 (87.71) | 6 (54.55) | 21 (95.45) | 39 (82.98) |
| Respiratory therapists only | 1 (7.14) | 4 (36.36) | 1 (4.55) | 6 (12.77) |
| Nurses only | - | - | - | - |
| P-value | <0.01* | 0.67 | <0.01* | - |
| Readiness to wean | ||||
| Physician only | 4 (28.57) | 6 (54.55) | 3 (13.64) | 13 (27.66) |
| Collaborative | 10 (71.43) | 5 (45.45) | 19 (86.36) | 34 (72.34) |
| Respiratory therapists only | - | - | - | - |
| Nurses only | - | - | - | - |
| P-value | 0.02* | 0.67 | <0.01* | - |
| Weaning method | ||||
| Physician only | 4 (28.57) | 1 (9.09) | 5 (22.73) | 10 (21.28) |
| Collaborative | 10 (71.43) | 9 (81.82) | 13 (59.09) | 32 (68.09) |
| Respiratory therapists only | - | 1 (9.09) | 4 (18.18) | 5 (10.64) |
| Nurses only | - | - | - | - |
| P-value | 0.02* | <0.01* | 0.22 | - |
| Readiness to trail of extubation | ||||
| Physician only | 4 (28.57) | 5 (45.45) | 3 (13.64) | 12 (25.53) |
| Collaborative | 10 (71.43) | 6 (54.55) | 19 (86.36) | 35 (74.47) |
| Respiratory therapists only | - | - | - | - |
| Nurses only | - | - | - | - |
| P-value | 0.02* | 0.67 | <0.01* | - |
| Weaning failure | ||||
| Physician only | 2 (14.29) | 2 (18.18) | 2 (9.09) | 6 (12.77) |
| Collaborative | 12 (85.71) | 8 (72.73) | 20 (90.91) | 40 (85.11) |
| Respiratory therapists only | - | 1 (9.09) | - | 1 (2.13) |
| Nurses only | - | - | - | - |
| P-value | <0.01* | <0.01* | 0.03 | - |
| Total | 14 | 11 | 22 | 47 |
P-value indicates the proportion of collaboration versus non-collaboration for the individual group.
*
Indicates significant P-values.
Note: The percentages do not add up to 100% due to overlapping data.