Physical Therapy Teamwork Essay

Introduction

Physical therapy (PT) isn’t primarily thought of as a profession that utilizes teamwork in its field, rather teamwork is more associated with physicians, nurses, etc. Interdisciplinary teamwork is where various specialties come together, share their expertise and skills to impact patient care.1 Successful utilization of this strategy leads to greater outcomes, faster recovery, and is an important facilitator to achieve positive, cost-effective outcomes for both patients and businesses.2 However, it can vary greatly depending on the setting such as an outpatient based orthopedic clinic compared to an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF). In an outpatient facility, a physical therapist may collaborate with the patient’s physician,

There are many strategies for this leader to put forth in order to do so. One of which being in-services and team building exercises to learn about where their skills are best applied in a treatment team. Not all members know each other, and knowledge of their educational backgrounds, their treatment styles, etc. could be effective in a team setting. Another method is to hold weekly team meetings to discuss patient progress, barriers to patient goals, and what could be done to improve as a team. This ensures regular communication where team members may discuss any thoughts or concerns that they may have. Additionally, presenting a monthly or quarterly reflection on a patient that a health professional found challenging and presenting it to their peers will prompt reflection and group collaboration. A strategy that I found very effective in an IRF was the use of a reflection board that was put in a private area to discuss opportunities of improvement within team dynamics and was reviewed once a month with the team leader. This provided a less formal opportunity for members to give suggestions and voice concerns as well as give positive feedback to their members for their good work. Implementation of these strategies will

It has helped further bolster my claims that a good working relationship with the PTs that work with you can make a monumental difference. At the clinic that I am working at, many of the patients see several PTs and rarely stick with one PT during their entire course of therapy. This is due to their complex schedule, PT scheduling, and the philosophy that all the PTs in the clinic have their own unique addition to a POC that can be very useful. When I have seen patients that other PTs have been seeing more regularly, I ask their opinion on how they are progressing or if there is anything specific that I should know about them. Some of the insight that I receive is very helpful such as their personality, favorite treatment interventions, movement patterns that may need further assessment, etc. This insight has led to more productive treatments and greater patient outcomes that I have come to further incorporate into my approach to