Physiotherapists and Emergency Triage
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It is an exciting time to be a physiotherapist / physical therapist (PT). Our roles, responsibilities, scope of practice and impacts are evolving; which includes our role within the emergency department (ED).
Please note that this page addresses PTs being involved in the TRIAGE of patients arriving at the ED, this should be considered as an advanced practice in physiotherapy.
For more information on emergency department physical therapy (ED PT), click here.
Introduction[edit | edit source]
It is no secret that there is a long history of controversy with allied health care providers undertaking new roles and responsibilities, which have traditional been solely attributed to physicians.[1] As the practice of physiotherapy evolves, so do our roles and responsibilities within hospitals and health care institutions. As Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on the musculoskeletal system, it is only intuitive that we be where the injuries are - which is the emergency department.
Emergency departments have traditionally been designed to address medical life threatening emergencies. However, there seems to be an emerging trend for individuals to consult EDs for non-life threatening MSK pain in order to gain access to health care.
A study involving the United States between 2006-2007 found that 30% of the 61.2 million MSK injuries treated during that period occurred in the ED.[2] The National Ambulatory Care Reporting System in Canada (2014-2015) suggests that the leading reason to consult an ER for MSK pain includes cervical and lumbar regions. Emergency departments would benefit from an experienced physiotherapists with sharp clinical reasoning and diagnostic skills.
Suggested Roles & Responsibilities of a PT[edit | edit source]
Potential Benefits of having a PT within an ED[edit | edit source]
Potential Challenges of having a PT within an ED[edit | edit source]
Additional Resources[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Farrell, S.C. (2014) Can physiotherapists contribute to care in the emergency department? Australas Med J. 2014; 7(7): 315–317. Published online 2014 Jul 31. doi: 10.4066/AMJ.2014.2183 Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4127962
- ↑ Pitts, S.R., Niska, R.W., Xu, J., & Burt, C.W. (2008). National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2006 emergency department summary. Natl Health Stat Rep. 2008;7:1–39.
