Patient-supplied Respiratory Equipment in the Hospital
By Michael L. Smith, JD, RRT
Hospitals and respiratory therapists regularly receive requests from patients asking to use their own respiratory therapy equipment in the hospital. Chronic pulmonary patients are generally reluctant to change their treatment regimen and may request they be permitted to continue using their home ventilators or positive airway pressure units in the hospital. Generally, hospitals should not allow patients to use their own medical equipment.
Patient-supplied medical equipment poses numerous risks for hospitals and their RTs. Patient supplied equipment may be a different model than what the hospital’s RTs and other staff routinely use, which can contribute to […]
