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The Field Of Physical Therapy

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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 …show more content…

The main audience a PT is writing to are people who have extensive understanding or are in the field. Their purpose is to use that information for billing and to help make medical decisions which both greatly impact the patient. Due to the potential impact of their understanding of the PT’s writing, the writing must be specific, descriptive, and contain jargon. A specific documentation layout named SOAP was created for PT’s to use to make sure all essential information is gathered. All PT’s follow the SOAP note format to document patient visits. SOAP notes were created to help keep consistency through the field and to keep patient records organized and secure. SOAP notes are written to help the PT critically think about the next step in their client’s rehabilitation process. The format is used “to communicate information to other providers of care, to provide evidence of patient contact and to inform the Clinical Reasoning process” (Lowe “SOAP Notes”). SOAP documentations aid in informing and proving PT’s work. The content is straight to the point and remains strictly factual which causes shorter sentences. SOAP stands for subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (Lowe “SOAP Notes”). Each section aides in formulating an evaluation of the client’s visit. A PT uses APA citation if they

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