The respiratory care profession in Saudi Arabia: Past and present

Abstract

The respiratory care (RC) profession in Saudi Arabia is over 40-year-old. Although there have been major advancements in the profession, no history and enough information are available about its development and evolvement at current. This paper describes the history and development of the field of RC and future prospects for the profession in Saudi Arabia. A comprehensive review and assessment were conducted through direct contact, interviews, and a review of existing documents in the Medical Services Division of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health, The Ministry of Civil Services, representative hospitals, academic institutions, and other relevant texts. The data obtained were evaluated for its relevance and grouped on a thematic basis. This is currently the first paper about the history and development of the RC profession in Saudi Arabia over the last 45 years.

Noninvasive ventilation utilization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Results of a national survey

“…Respiratory care is a well-established profession in Saudi Arabia. [ 30 31 ] However, recent national surveys showed a significant shortage of RTs in hospitals. [ 31 ] Therefore, NIV underutilization in emergency rooms might be attributable to the shortage of RTs.…”

Respiratory Care Education and Clinical Practice in Mainland China

“…Because the medical environment varies from country to country, the development of the respiratory care profession is also quite varied. 16,17 There is a high demand for RTs in mainland China 7,14 and in other countries, such as Saudi Arabia and India, 16,18 due to the rapid progress of intensive care medicine. 9,16 Formal degree programs are not plentiful enough to supply professionals and expand the group of available RTs.…”

“…In some developed countries, for example, Saudi Arabia, 15% of RTs were trained in the United States. 18 However, the expense of training abroad is massive, and this model of training may not be feasible in many developing countries. Also, building degree programs is a complicated, slow, costly, and labor-intensive process.…”

“…This type of educational program was used in the early phase of respiratory care development in Taiwan and Saudi Arabia. 16,18 However, no study has been completed to prove its effectiveness. We found that the job responsibilities in ventilator management, airway management, and bronchial hygiene treatment were similar in the 3 groups.…”

“…In the development of the profession, RT certification and licensure is a major and urgent obstacle, which also exists in other countries, for example, Saudi Arabia. 17,18 Relying on the certification by the National Board for Respiratory Care, which is an American agency, is not a realistic solution. Being credentialed by a Chinese organization may be more feasible.…”