Respiratory Physiotherapy

Project Aim

Respiratory physiotherapy is not yet defined or structured as a sub-specialty across many European countries. Therefore this project aims to develop a post-graduate respiratory physiotherapy programme with a specific training period defined by task force members. The project will closely follow the development strategy for educational standards defined through HERMES.

Target Audience

This project is aimed at those who have completed postgraduate training in respiratory physiotherapy as well as allied health professionals working in this field. As the specialty is in the process of consolidation and is not recognised in many countries, those who are advocating for the recognition of the specialty will have specific use of the recommendations given in this project.

Task Force

  • Preliminary
    phase
  • PHASE 1
    Syllabus
  • PHASE 2
    Curriculum

  • Needs analysis, surveys, definition of project structure

    The preliminary phase investigated the current training practices for respiratory physiotherapy across countries including:
    • Length of training
    • How training is organised
    • Clinical and educational experience
    • Information on who within the multidisciplinary team is responsible for specific items in the syllabus
    Preliminary Survey analysis report

  • Development of a consensus-based European Core Syllabus

    Within this project step the task force defined what a respiratory physiotherapist should know. This project phase was developed through expert input from the task force, a modified Delphi process targeting a wider audience and a plenary meeting with national representatives from European Countries. There was participation and feedback from various stakeholders such as field experts and trainees. Consensus methods to complete the syllabus were used.
     

  • Development of a consensus-based European Core Curriculum

    While the syllabus lists the core competencies that practicing specialists in respiratory physiotherapy must possess, the curriculum describes how the prescribed knowledge, skills and attitudes are taught. The respiratory physiotherapy HERMES task force have been developing a comprehensive curriculum targeting two target audiences: adult and paediatric respiratory physiotherapists. The Adult track of the curriculum has been completed while the Paediatric track is currently being finished.