Years before the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, one physical therapist had already brought physical therapy services to the country. Greg Bennett, PT, DSc, MS, owner of Excel Rehabilitation and medical mission coordinator for orthopedic and rehabilitation services for the Community Coalition for Haiti, shares details about providing physical therapy services to Haitians in this week’s podcast.
Nearly a decade ago, Bennett was contacted by some friends in the medical profession who mentioned physical therapy services were non-existent in Haiti. The Haitian culture often views physical disabilities as a curse and individuals with disabilities were often shunned by other Haitians. This inspired Bennett to visit Haiti. During his first trip, Bennett did patient evaluations and assessments and realized physical therapists had a huge opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Haitians. This initial visit grew into week-long visits throughout the year and eventually led to the opening of two permanent physical therapy clinics located in Pignon and Jacmel, Haiti.
Learn more about the Community Coalition for Haiti, physical therapy volunteer opportunities and ways you can get involved by listening to the full podcast now.
Additional information on ways you can get involved with the physical therapy efforts in Haiti can be found on the Community Coalition for Haiti website (cchaiti.org) or PT Help for Haiti website (pthelpforhaiti.org)
Is the physical therapy profession prepared to meet the health needs of the future? To address this question, Gail M. Jensen, PhD, PT, FAPTA joins PT Talker. She recently gave the McMillan lecture at the 2011 APTA annual meeting and presented on the topic of societal health needs at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting held in New Orleans in February.
To meet the ever-changing landscape of societal health care needs, Jensen defined three areas of focus. First, follow the APTA code of ethics with emphasis on the principle of respecting the inherent dignity and rights of all individuals. Her second principle is to adhere to a social contract that strives to meet health needs locally, nationally and globally. The final area of focus is social responsibility. She encourages physical therapists to remember that health is more than just health care. Where a patient lives, his job and living conditions can override the importance of seeking proper health care. Jensen believe social responsibility takes a look at changing health conditions in addition to providing health care.
Listen now to learn more about ways physical therapists can work with other health professions to meet the common good of society.
Are you still relying on paper health status questionnaires to gather patient data and feedback? One group of physical therapy and occupational therapy clinics recently traded traditional paper questionnaires in for a more technologically advanced option…the iPad. Instead of filling out a paper questionnaire, AthletiCo patients use an iPad® to complete a health status questionnaire at admission, mid-treatment and at discharge. The information gathered on the iPad combined with Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes, Inc. (FOTO® ) data collection service enables AthletiCo to better measure patient outcomes and patient satisfaction. AthletiCo Founder and President, Mark Kaufman, PT, ATC joins PT Talker to share additional details about how this new technology has made a difference at their clinics.
AthletiCo partnered with FOTO® to gain a better understanding of patient outcomes and customer feedback. The FOTO® data collection system uses a mobile device like the iPad to collect data and provides outcome reports for patients, measures patient satisfaction and compares quality of care and results to other providers across the nation. The new system allows AthletiCo to identify strengths and areas to improve on. Listen now to discover ways this new technology can benefit your clinic.
Even the most seasoned physical therapist needs to refer to clinical reference materials from time to time. Whether you choose to refer back to an old textbook or your favorite journal, finding the specific information you are looking for can take time. This week’s expert has made finding musculoskeletal clinical reference material easier. Daniel Rhon, MPT, DPT, DSc is a research physical therapist at Madigan Army Medical Center in Seattle and the Chief Operating Officer at Clinically Relevant Technologies. He shares information about some reference tools designed specifically for your iPhone and other mobile devices.
Clinically Relevant developed several medical software applications to help physical therapists diagnose musculoskeletal conditions and make decisions based on evidence-supported principles. The apps cover everything from clinical tests for musculoskeletal exams, orthopaedic manipulative therapy, low back pain management and spinal manipulation. The applications provide instructions for properly performing tests for diagnosing musculoskeletal conditions, video demonstrations and links to supporting peer-reviewed references. In addition to serving as a clinical reference tool, several universities offer students the choice of using the applications or a traditional textbook.
Learn more about the iPhone CORE application and other available applications by listening now.
Years before the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, one physical therapist had already brought physical therapy services to the country. Greg Bennett, PT, DSc, MS, owner of Excel Rehabilitation and medical mission coordinator for orthopedic and rehabilitation services for the Community Coalition for Haiti, shares details about providing physical therapy services to Haitians in this week’s podcast.
Is the physical therapy profession prepared to meet the health needs of the future? To address this question, Gail M. Jensen, PhD, PT, FAPTA joins PT Talker. She recently gave the McMillan lecture at the 2011 APTA annual meeting and presented on the topic of societal health needs at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting held in New Orleans in February.
