Table 1. Demographic, personal, and employment characteristics of respondents (n = 123).
| Characteristics | No. (%) Respiratory Therapists, (n = 87) | Other respiratory professionals (n = 36) | Overall n = 123 | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||||
| Female | 73 (83.9) | 35 (97.2) | 108 (87.8) | NA |
| Male | 14 (16.1) | 1 (2.8) | 15 (12.2) | NA |
| Geographic location | ||||
| Western Canada | 39 (44.8) | 19 (52.8) | 58 (50.1) | 0.61 |
| Ontario | 30 (34.5) | 12 (28.6) | 42 (34.1) | 0.61 |
| Atlantic Canada | 18 (20.7) | 5 (13.9) | 23 (18.7) | 0.61 |
| Distance to urban centre of >250,000 | ||||
| Located in urban centre | 22 (25.3) | 13 (36.1) | 35 (28.5) | 0.35 |
| <250 km | 42 (48.3) | 17 (47.2) | 59 (48.0) | 0.35 |
| ≥250 km | 23 (26.4) | 6 (16.7) | 29 (23.6) | 0.35 |
| Has personal experience with serious illness or death of someone close | 70 (80.5) | 15 (79.0) | 98 (79.7) | 0.46 |
| Self-rated importance of spirituality | ||||
| Somewhat important or important | 48 (56.5) | 24 (66.7) | 72 (58.5) | 0.40 |
| Neutral | 18 (21.2) | 4 (11.1) | 22 (17.8) | 0.40 |
| Somewhat unimportant or unimportant | 19 (22.4) | 8 (22.2) | 27 (21.9) | 0.40 |
| Years of professional experience | ||||
| ≤10 years | 13 (14.9) | 8 (22.2) | 21 (17.1) | 0.41 |
| 11–25 years | 47 (54.0) | 15 (41.7) | 62 (50.4) | 0.41 |
| ≥25 years | 27 (31.0) | 13 (36.1) | 40 (32.5) | 0.41 |
| Is a Certified Respiratory Educator | 76 (88.4) | 16 (84.2) | 105 (86.1) | 0.26 |
| Has attended workshops or professional education on palliative care | 32 (36.8) | 18 (51.4) | 50 (40.7) | 0.26 |
| Practice setting | ||||
| Asthma/COPD/ Cough Clinic | 21 (24.1) | 3 (8.3) | 24 (19.5) | NA |
| Primary health care | 11 (12.6) | 10 (27.8) | 21 (17.1) | NA |
| Acute care | 17 (19.5) | 4 (11.1) | 21 (17.1) | NA |
| Home Care | 7 (8.0) | 3 (8.3) | 10 (8.1) | NA |
| Community Care | 6 (6.9) | 2 (5.6) | 8 (6.5) | NA |
| Other (including: mixed acute care and community, pharmacies, private practice) | 25 (28.7) | 14 (38.9) | 39 (30.1) | NA |
| Primary patient populations seen in practice (multiple allowed) | ||||
| Chronic cough | 86 (98.9) | 36 (100) | 122 (99.2) | NA |
| COPD | 86 (98.9) | 34 (94.4) | 120 (97.6) | NA |
| Interstitial Lung Disease | 58 (66.7) | 18 (50.0) | 76 (61.8) | NA |
| Asthma | 42 (48.3) | 21 (58.3) | 63 (52.3) | NA |
| Lung Cancer | 33 (37.9) | 15 (41.7) | 48 (39.0) | NA |
| Pulmonary Hypertension | 21 (24.1) | 6 (16.7) | 27 (22.0) | NA |
| Lung Transplant | 14 (16.1) | 3 (8.3) | 17 (13.8) | NA |
| Cystic Fibrosis | 8 (9.2) | 1 (2.8) | 9 (6.5) | NA |
Note: NA, not available as cell counts of <5 precluded statistical analyses.