title: The integration of respiratory therapy into nursing: reorganization for improved productivity.
abstract: This article outlines a program, implemented by a 133-bed acute care facility, designed to provide more productive patient care delivery while maintaining the level of service delivered. This program required downsizing the respiratory therapy department, integrating a portion of its function into the nursing department, and reducing the annual salary budget by approximately $270,000 or 2 percent of total hospital salaries. The article describes the process and strategies that were used to implement this method of providing respiratory care to hospital patients.
mesh_terms: D002497:Centralized Hospital Services; D004526:Efficiency; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006744:Hospital Bed Capacity, 100 to 299; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009738:Nursing Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010934:Planning Techniques; D012139:Respiratory Therapy Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States; D014941:Work Simplification