Respiratory Therapy
What is Respiratory Therapy?
Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRTs) work at the hospital to help when you’re having problems breathing.
The role of the RRT is to help with breathing through a variety of therapies, including:
- Oxygen delivery using a mask
- Medication delivery, such as: ventolin, atrovent, steroids, or epinephrine
- Management of asthma: a patient experiencing an asthma attack may be seen by the RRT over a few hours. RRTs will assess you or your child, provide medication prescribed by the physician, and repeat treatments as necessary
- In cases where a patient experiences severe respiratory distress, their breathing may have to be assisted using a ventilator. A ventilator is a machine that moves air into and out of the lungs in order to get oxygen into the body.
- The RRT will also provide teaching to the patient and family regarding the nature of the breathing problems. They also provide advice on how to manage the problem on a daily basis if the disorder is chronic. Teaching is also provided on the proper use of medication devices.
Where can I receive Respiratory Therapy?
For outpatient tests, you will report your presence and register at Switchboard by entering the hospital’s main entrance. The RRT will come and get you from the lobby.
For inpatients, the RRT will provide bedside care.
*** NEW: Full Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT)
As of April 2023, GBGH provides full pulmonary function testing (PFT) as part of its commitment to grow and align the hospital’s services to meet community needs. With this latest service enhancement, patients will not have to leave the area to have this critical lung function testing completed.
When a patient is diagnosed as having decreased air flow through basic spirometry, they are often referred for a full PFT to aid in diagnosing lung diseases (i.e. COPD, asthma, bronchitis, shortness of breath and emphysema), help monitor the response to treatment, and can guide decisions regarding further treatment and intervention. Some patients may also be referred for spirometry or PFT before elective surgery to evaluate if they are appropriate to receive a general anesthetic. It can also be used to assess the effects of medications and measure progress in disease treatment.
Patients requiring PFT at GBGH will be referred through their primary care provider if identified as needing a lung function assessment.
Contact Information:
Phone: (705) 526-1300 ext. 5090
Fax: (705) 526-7837
Email: imaging@gbgh.on.ca
Reports/Results:
Results will be sent to your ordering provider to discuss with you.
You can also access reports on the GBGH “my health care” portal.
“my health care” is a secure, online patient portal that provides authorized friends, family members and caregivers access to your electronic health record from our partner hospitals, anywhere, at any time. You are able to view appointments, pre-register for upcoming appointments, see your visit history, review your results, access dictated reports and update personal information. my health care can be accessed online – https://myhealthcareportal.ca/, or you can download the app on iPhone or Android from their app stores.