RT Assist is an application that was developed to help Respiratory Therapists better communicate with their Spanish-speaking patients and their families. Our focus is specific to translating the terms and phrases that Respiratory Therapists commonly use in the clinical setting. Included are phrases that can help explain standard procedures and reasons for specific therapies and/or medications. Patient assessment is possible through guided questions about mental status, pain levels and comfort. Intubated patients have a dedicated section that will allow clinicians to guide spontaneous breathing trials and assess extubation readiness. For simplicity, all questions have been designed to be given in a yes or no response.
The goal of this bedside tool is to improve patient safety and quality of care by ensuring a higher level of clarity and mutual understanding. We believe that our patients need to understand the reasons for a particular medication, therapy, or procedure. Keeping this in mind, we made it a point to ensure that these translations stayed clear of “textbook” and “slang” Spanish. Instead, we have opted to use a simple and polite Spanish that most people can understand, regardless of country of origin or level of education.