My girlfriend is a doctorate of physical therapy student and everyone in her class had to pick a physical therapy setting, write a paper about it and then present their findings. She picked the emergency department setting. I've worked ED for around 2 years now, both a community ED and now currently a level II trauma center, and I don't ever recall seeing a physical therapist once, except for a time when a PT outpatient had a vasovagal response and the PT brought her down. Have any of you ever worked with a physical therapist or PTA in the ED setting?
PT will usually determine by assessment what therapies and treatment the patient will require before OT can see the patient. We don't see OT in the ICUs or acute floors but we see plenty of PT. They are also included in all of the ICU rounds.
I think I just have it in my head that OT is more "functional" and this is what we are concerned with in the ED. I think of PT as longer term therapy and rehab. Is this not correct? My understanding is only from my training and the year I spent as an RN on a surgical floor.
I think I just have it in my head that OT is more "functional" and this is what we are concerned with in the ED. I think of PT as longer term therapy and rehab. Is this not correct? My understanding is only from my training and the year I spent as an RN on a surgical floor.
From what I was taught, the best way to describe the difference between OT and PT is that OT is upper body and PT is lower body. And by this I mean, OT does work on more fine motor control. Like feeding yourself, brushing your teeth, writing, and I believe they do some stuff with visual deficits too. And PT is more for gross motor control and strength. Like sitting up, standing, walking, etc.
PT will usually determine by assessment what therapies and treatment the patient will require before OT can see the patient. We don't see OT in the ICUs or acute floors but we see plenty of PT. They are also included in all of the ICU rounds.
We use lots of both PT and OT in our critical care division. I'm a little confused by your wording. Are you saying that PT has to evaluate the patient first to see if they are appropriate for OT?
It seems some of you may have seen PT doing only a very limited amount of services like walking a patient. The are also the masters of pain relief and have keep many people from going under the knife for spinal surgery. They also help get people off serious pain meds who docters just threw meds at the patient and never really addressed the cause.
PT can assess many things from a person's gait, stance and strength to determine what the patient would benefit most from. Often they can do a few soft tissue manipulations and get a person out of a spasm or trace it back to the orgin. And no they don't just work the lower body. They also can specialize for sports injuries, head, spinal and a whole list of specialties which make them invaluable. They also work with the upper body as well as the lower of a ventilator patient to facilitate weaning. Evaluation of body positioning for wound prevention or care is also something they are high in demand and are constantly fitting people with devices to take pressure off heels, buttocks, knees, shoulders or whatever.
Rarely will a patient need fine motor skills. OTs are excellent and also an invaluable team member. But, for immediate acute structuraly issues, a PT would probably be best.
Again, I would rather have someone who is well versed in what a PT does advising the patient what to expect for a followup rather than a nurse handing someone a piece of paper and saying things like "they'll walk you around". I wouldn't show up for that appointment either if that is all they do but it is not. Nursing, as evidenced by the recent threads, focuses on skills and does not recognize the extensive knowledge other professionals have and that most deifinitely includes PT and OT.
We have a team composed of PT, OT and a social worker that will assess ER patients in house and then go to the home to suggest assistive devices or modifications to enable them to remain at home during illness or injury. It has saved a lot of admissions, and connected people with homecare services.
Larry77, RN
1,158 Posts
I think I just have it in my head that OT is more "functional" and this is what we are concerned with in the ED. I think of PT as longer term therapy and rehab. Is this not correct? My understanding is only from my training and the year I spent as an RN on a surgical floor.