Home respiratory therapy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The goals of the South Hills Health System Home Health Agency's program of home respiratory therapy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are to support life; to improve physical, emotional, and social well-being and productivity; to promote patient and family self-sufficiency; to provide respiratory care of high quality; and to ensure the cost effectiveness of respiratory therapy services. In the patient's home, qualified respiratory therapists perform respiratory assessments, deliver and supervise respiratory therapy treatments and related procedures, and educate patients and their families. This program of home respiratory care has been shown to be a cost-effective solution to the care of homebound patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.