Evidence-Based Physical Therapy Practice: A Case Study

The day-to-day writing in the field of Physical Therapy varies depending on the audience. The audience determines the purpose of the writing and writing style. Physical Therapists (PT) use evidence-based exercises and activities to rehabilitate their patients in order for them to reach their unique goal. Since PT’s work with both medical professionals and patients, they must adjust their writing to be able to communicate effectively. PT’s are just one of the many people in the medical field that may work with a particular patient so it is important that the communication between the different layers of the medical field are precise and clear. Writing to a patient is also important because they are the person who is being directly affected

Physical therapy is defined as the treatment of an injury, disease, or deformity by physical means and methods such as exercise, hot or cold treatments, and/or massage rather than a pharmaceutical method such as opioids or the surgical route. Physical therapy much like other healthcare professions is a patient based profession in which the healthcare professional and the patient are in contact with each other frequently. This contact between the professional (the physical therapist assistant in this case) and the patient can propose issues that could challenge the physical therapist assistant’s morals, ethics, and/or professionalism. These challenges made it apparent that there needed to be guidelines for the professionalism a physical therapist assistant must follow and be aware of, which led to the development of the 8 value-based behaviors.

As a PTA I have been given a breath of knowledge in regard to the profession of physical therapy. However, I am not satisfied with this breath of knowledge. I yearn for the opportunity to gain a further understanding in terms of “how and why” physical therapy is successful at restoring function to individuals seeking

The purpose of this research study is to determine through statistical evidence that physical therapist do or do not play a major role in helping patients with chronic diseases.

Evidence based practice, EBP, is a phrase often heard by the occupational therapy, OT, student and is commonly used at the professional level as well. The term is frequently referenced by professors and textbooks, and can even be found in the American Occupational Therapy Association (2006) Centennial Vision Statement as a defining characteristic of the profession. With such an emphasis placed upon it, it is helpful to understand what is meant by the phrase evidence-based practice, why it is considered important to the profession, barriers to practicing it, and how to incorporate it in future practice.

If you look at any company or organization, you are bound to find a list of values, things that others view as positive qualities in a person. These could be things such as honesty, knowledge, diligence, and compassion. Values set up a foundation for the organization, something for their employees to follow and exemplify in their service to the general public. Employees can use their organization’s values to see what their strengths are and where they need to improve. Values also provide a reference point when hiring new employees, helping employers to see which individuals are already living the organization’s values. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has such a list of values, which they refer to as ‘Core Values’. These are Accountability, Altruism, Compassion/Caring, Excellence, Integrity, Professional Duty, and Social Responsibility. It is important for me, as a future Physical Therapist Assistant, to look at the APTA’s Core Values and see where my strengths and weaknesses lie.

Congratulations on making it to week eight of PTA 324 Physical Therapy Across Practice Settings! We end this course with a look at professional development of the PTA. We will be discussing ideas for lifelong learning and maintaining clinical competence. By being in this course, you have already shown a commitment to professional development and lifelong learning. As we come to the end of this class, reflect on the self-directed learning that you have achieved and how your professional development has been affected by your research and the interactions with your classmates.

I work in ICU unit as a registered nurse, where we provide care for patients with life threatening medical conditions. Working in ICU require a careful assessment and monitoring of patient progress in order to dictate sudden changes in the patients’ medical condition that might require emergency intervention. Evidence base practice is very important for our daily patient care. According the article published for the April issue of the journal critical care nurse, it encourages nurses to critically evaluate and apply evidence to daily practice to improve patient outcomes and to stop using practice intervention that are based solely on tradition. “It is well established that evidence-based practice (EBP) is associated with higher quality care

Healthcare continues to evolve at an extremely rapid pace. It is vital that patients are given the highest quality of care throughout the duration of care received. Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt (2015) states that evidenced based practice is the key to delivering a higher quality of care that facilitates the most favorable outcomes. In order to remain abreast in the face of change, healthcare providers must research and employ initiatives that forwards the healthcare entity as a whole. Unfortunately healthcare providers and healthcare organizations fail to utilize evidenced based practice as often as they should. Often time this is a result of unfamiliarity with research, inability to appropriately incorporate research into active daily practice,

Welcome to week four of PTA 324 Physical Therapy Across Practice Settings. This week we will be discussing the role of physical therapy in the hospice setting. Like with home health, improved healthcare has led to longer lifespans but also more chronic diseases. As a result, many people are requiring physical therapy to maintain their quality of life and function. We will discuss the components of palliative and hospice care, including the background, interventions, and other aspects of work in this setting.

There is constant change in health care and the amount of new evidence related to improved patient outcomes is so abundant it is difficult to keep up with new recommendations. Adoption of evidence-based practice and care by an interprofessional team requires good communication skills and reinforcement of the reasons for change. Efforts to communicate change effectively must create a sense of urgency and generates a vision and motivates staff to accept change. Williams, Rycroft-Malone, & Burton (2016), discuss the importance of change agents or intermediaries that serve as educator and role-models to adopt evidence-based practice. They concluded that an active and constant presence at the bedside by intermediaries develops trust, influence,

There have been many changes throughout the years in healthcare. One of the many changes that affect us every day is oxygen toxicity in premature babies and the effects on their eyes. There is a fine line to walk when protecting the function of the brain and preserving vision. The risks have been a concern for healthcare providers for decades. Some people were born at 26 weeks in the early 60’s and suffers from severe retinopathy from over oxygenation. Between 1950 and the mid-1960’s many babies were blinded due to over oxygenation (Millenson, 2015).

As a matter of fact, a physical therapist is well versed with the pathophysiologic and musculoskeletal conditions, and has the vital cognitive faculties, to design an evidenced based treatment program that will be beneficial and has the standards to produce the best functional outcome for the patient/client’s long term fitness-wellness

The human experience is not a vague suggestion of what everyone strives for. This is a very individualized set of preferences and priorities that each person desires in life. We are all unique beings and as a physical therapist, there is a duty to create a specific strategy of care that is centered on the needs of the consumer. Movement is the basis of everything we do. Optimizing movement by improving mobility and motion, managing pain, and regaining original capabilities will guide society to a healthier and more active lifestyle.

Excellence: Excellence is a key component behind the practice of evidence-based care in the profession of physical therapy. As a doctoring profession that utilizes high levels of research, the knowledge invested into care will lead to well-constructed successful outcomes. Physical therapy will continue to expand and excel in the quality of patient centered care. I’ve worked hard to meet goals throughout my undergraduate education and will continue to meet higher standards as a graduate student. As a future professional, I will aim far beyond what is necessary to meet basic requirements, and continually pursue growth.