Getting Started: The Approach to Respiratory Physiology

A Clinical Approach to Respiratory Physiology

Given the vast quantities of information confronting physicians today, most students and residents want to know why a new piece of knowledge is essential for them to master. Why should I learn this? As a general principle, the answer to this question has two components. First, this knowledge will enable you to take better care of your patients today and in the future. Second, the construction of this foundation or framework will help you incorporate new knowledge about human function and disease as it is discovered in the future.

To help you see the relevance of respiratory physiology, we place the study of this subject within a clinical context as much as possible. We draw on clinical examples to reinforce and clarify concepts. At the end of each chapter, we provide a section called "Putting It Together" which presents a brief clinical scenario that illustrates many of the principles of the chapter and further reinforces the concepts just developed. Thus, the question of relevance is addressed in a very explicit manner.