The Role of Technology in Enhancing Collaboration in Respiratory Therapy, Nursing, and Patient Care
Keywords:
1.3 Health Technology Integration, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Respiratory Therapy Innovations, Nursing Informatics, Patient-Centered Care, Telehealth Solution, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Clinical Decision Support SystemsAbstract
Enhancing collaboration across respiratory therapy, nursing, and patient care boosts patient experience, safety, and quality of care. Although each profession shares a connection with the patient, respiratory therapy is unique in that it also shares a close working relationship with nursing. Multiple factors influence the degree of collaboration among these healthcare providers, but technology serves as a catalyst—bridging communication gaps and fostering a coordinated approach to care.
Collaboration pervades the healthcare landscape because effective coordination among disciplines yields better patient outcomes and increased efficiency. Although technology in health care encompasses a broad spectrum of tools and approaches, communication technologies represent the most significant enabler of collaboration—and, correspondingly, one of the most active areas of research and development. For example, the capability and availability of connected technologies in respiratory care offer opportunities to enhance coordination but also present risks that require a coordinated, collaborative response to realize benefits at scale (W Costello et al., 2017). Broad stakeholder engagement is necessary; these innovations cannot rely solely on interest from a specialized minority.
