The FDA has approved a new weapon to treat COPD. It is called Breo, an inhaled drug by GlaxoSmithKline of Britain and Theravance of the United States. It consists of a corticosteroid, fluticasone furoate, and a long-acting beta-agonist called vilanterol. The product is delivered through a palm-sized device called Ellipta. It is known as Relvar ...

The health care industry can learn a lot from business. If you do not think health care is a business, you're wrong. Just check out the forms you fill out, the charting you do, and the cashier's cage. One of the failures I see in health care is an inadequate attention to project management. Project management can cover everything from planning ...

I write an opinion blog. Everyone has an opinion. I know this, and I know that each time I write, some will agree and some disagree. Some people just take pleasure in spreading rumors to stir the pot. This seems to be the case of some of those on Facebook -- in particular, a relatively new group to the RT scene which has done little more than ...

As the New Year comes, let's take a moment to reflect on last year. So many people lost, so many opportunities missed. Let's all make a decision now to have a better 2013. Managers, make sure your employees know they are appreciated. Respiratory Care Week is not enough; if you want to keep employees motivated and retained, you have to ...

Another organization you may want to consider joining is the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). These are the fine folks who award you the credentials you worked so hard for. Since 1960, the goal of the NBRC has been to ''evaluate professional competence of respiratory therapists,'' according to the organization website.The NBRC is a ...

For a couple of weeks we have talked about licensure and burnout. Let's focus on some things to avoid the burnout and help us through the licensure trials. Some may question why I write about such things, but being a well-rounded therapist means you have to look at life from all angles, not just from inside the hospital walls. A respiratory ...

Want to take your health into your own hands this winter? Try washing them! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand washing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infections. We hear this a million times during our careers, yet some are still deficient at this simple task. Think about all the ...

One of the hazards of being in respiratory therapy for so long, some 30-plus years now, is that I am often told that I am ''overqualified'' for the position I was hired for or am interviewing for. Many of you have encountered this same thing; a position you like is open but the hospital does not want to hire you because you have too much ...

Well, Respiratory Care Week has come and gone. Another with it came another year of celebrating what respiratory therapists do, and a renrewed commitment to make next year even better. Whether we were discussing the bottom line, the amount of treatments, the workload, or just the opportunities we have to continue our education and provide our ...

The air has become crisp with the sights, sounds, and chill of fall. Halloween is on the way, so I thought an adventure down memory lane might be fun. Let's compare the costs of one of the biggest and best Halloween traditions, the candy, in the context of prices. For instance, Tootsie Rolls, one of my all time favorites, used to cost a penny a ...