Respiratory Care Principles: A Programmed Guide to Entry-Level Practice, 3d ed.

Respiratory Care Principles, A Programmed Guide to Entry. Level Practice, ed 3 Barnes TA. Philadelphia, PA 19103, FA Davis Co, 1991, paperback, 515 pp, illus, $39-95.

The author's primary purposes for publishing a third edition of this book are to expand and redesign the entry-level principles required to safely practice respiratory care, provide a useful text to aid students in preparing for the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician (CRTT) examinations, provide an alternative method for learning, and serve as a resource guide for those professions involved in administering respiratory care. The book is organized into 16 chapters and consists of a total of 242 instructional frames. Each chapter begins with a list of frame titles and a pretest and ends with a posttest, suggestions for learning exercises, and a bibliography. Each instructional frame ends with a question. Progression through the text is programmed by the answers that the reader selects. All answer sheets to instructional frames include reference frames for the reader to review (if the selected answer was wrong) or to continue (if the selected answer was correct). All pretests and posttests are keyed so that the reader can identify areas of mastery and areas that need further review. Chapter 17 is a summative examination. The theory of self-paced learning can work well; however, this book can be very confusing to use. The answer sheets precede or follow instructional frames inconsistently throughout the text. The reader cannot read the book in a consecutive manner, as much page turning is required. This can interrupt the reader's concentration as well as the flow of information. in general, the material presented follows a logical progression. There are some chapters that seem misplaced, but by the end of the book, the reader does have an overview of respiratory care. Each topic is reviewed too briefly (usually less than a page), but accurately and precisely. In particular, the discussion of respiratory pathophysiology is too superficial, is presented out of context, and did not include many of the diseases encountered in daily practice. The figures and tables complement the text and provide adequate illustration of information. The exercises at the and of each chapter are good ideas to reinforce understanding and retention of material, but the answers are not included, and thus the programmed concept of this book is lost. Bibliographies at the end of each chapter contain appropriate, well-known, and up-to-date references, but the lists are not extensive. As a summary, the author has succeeded in his purpose for writing this book. It can be used as a quick reference for practitioners of respiratory care and for CRTT students preparing for licensing examinations. I would not recommend this book to physical therapy students as a suitable textbook. The information is not presented in enough detail, and the programmed-learning format does not work well. The evaluation and treatment aspects do not describe skills or rationale. Throughout the text, the focus of many of the questions is specific to memorizing numbers and formulas, rather than to facilitating concepts and problem-solving skills that physical therapy students and physical therapists need when practicing in the field of respiratory care.

Nancy B Schuster, PT Univ of New England Biddeford, Me