PHTY300 - Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy Practice 2

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

PHTY203 Physical Activity and Exercise in Physiotherapy AND PHTY205 Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy Practice 1

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

As a physiotherapist you need to be able formulate a problem list for a person with acute and chronic cardiorespiratory disorders and develop, implement, evaluate and progress an intervention program which is efficient, effective, culturally responsive, evidence-based and person-centred. In this unit you will build on the knowledge acquired and clinical reasoning skills developed in year 2 units (specifically, physiotherapy practice for people following surgery and with medical disorders, and exercise). You will gain new knowledge including an understanding of medical management for people who are critically ill and the implications of this for physiotherapy practice. You will apply your knowledge of exercise prescription for people with chronic respiratory and cardiac disorders. The overall aim for the unit is to further prepare students for professional practice in the area of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Describe, and discuss the implications for physiotherapy practice of medical management of the critically ill person (GA5)

LO2 - Safely and effectively assess and, develop, implement, evaluate and progress an intervention program for a person within a critical care environment which is efficient, effective, culturally responsive, evidence-based and person-centred (GA1, GA3, GA5, GA9)

LO3 - Safely and effectively assess and, develop, implement, evaluate and progress an intervention program for a person within a chronic cardiorespiratory disorder which is efficient, effective, culturally responsive, evidence-based and person-centred (GA1, GA3, GA5, GA9). 

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

Content

Topics will include: 

Examination 

• Adaptation of subjective examination  
• Adaptation of physical examination 

The critically ill patient across the lifespan 

• Investigations 
• Monitoring 
• Airway management 
• Tracheostomies 
• Non Invasive ventilation 
• Mechanical ventilation 
• Intensive care settings 
• Coronary care settings  
• Clinical reasoning 

Physiotherapy techniques 

• Airway suction: oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal suction 
• Artificial airway use: nasopharyngeal and guedel airways 
• Manual hyperinflation 
• Application and precautions of use of supplemental oxygen 
• Application, precautions and contraindications of non- invasive ventilation 
• Cough Assist Device 
• Mobilizing/exercising individuals in the intensive care setting 
• Treatment evaluation 

Rehabilitation 

• Role of the physiotherapist in the multidisciplinary team 
• Cardiac rehabilitation 
• Pulmonary rehabilitation 
• Individual education 
• Outcome measures used in rehabilitation programs 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves 150 hours of learning with a combination of face-to-face, online and other directed independent learning activities. 

The theoretical knowledge underpinning assessment and intervention will be delivered via lectures and online modules. Practical classes provide students with the opportunity to develop their assessment and treatment skills through the use of clinical scenarios within simulation learning activities. 

Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within group activities, demonstrating respect for the individual as an independent learner. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment tasks align with the presentation of the content in this unit of study.  This unit takes an authentic assessment approach allowing students to demonstrate their learning and competency for clinically relevant scenarios. In preparation for clinical placements in year 4, students are required to demonstrate their knowledge in both written and verbal forms. Assessment tasks 1 and 2 require students to demonstrate their acquisition and assimilation of knowledge and application to the assessment and treatment of patients with acute and chronic cardiorespiratory disorders and effectively communicate their clinical reasoning, assessment and proposed treatment plan for selected case scenarios in verbal form. Assessment task 3 requires students to demonstrate acquisition, assimilation of knowledge and application of knowledge to selected clinically relevant case scenarios in written form.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Bersten, A.D., & Handy J.M. (2019). Oh’s intensive care manual (8th ed.). Sydney: Butterworths.

Bersten, A.D., & Soni, N. (2017). Oh’s intensive care manual (7th ed.). Sydney: Butterworths.

Buckley, J. (2008). Exercise physiology in special populations. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

Frownfelter, D and Dean, E (editors) (2012) Cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy: evidence to practice (5th ed). Elsevier.

Higgs, J., Jones, M., Loftus, S., & Christensen, N. (2008). Clinical reasoning in the health professions (3rd ed.). Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.

Marino, P.L. (2017). Marino’s the little ICU book (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.

Main, E., & Denehy, L. (2016). Cardiorespiratory physiotherapy. Adults and paediatrics (5th ed.).Elsevier.  [This is the recommended textbook for the subject.} 

West, J.B. (2016). West’s respiratory physiology: The essentials (10th ed.). Sydney: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.