How Physiotherapists Collaborate with Other Health Care Providers

I work with the physiotherapy assistant, massage therapist, physicians and physician assistants in our the clinic

• Physiotherapy Assistant (PTA): The physiotherapy assistant helps me complete the treatment plan by showing patient experiences, doing gentle range of motion. I delegate the treatment plan to them and they help me to carry out. I do not have to be present for delegated work, I have to be confident that they can carry this out competently, which I have evaluated.
• Registered Massage Therapists: I refer people to massage therapy for soft tissue work. I do speak with the RMT at our clinic before she sees our initial visit, and how the patient is progressing.
• Physician: We send progress notes to physicians, or call the office if it was urgent to ask for a response. We may also ask about surgical restrictions and post-op surgical protocols.
• Physician Assistants: I basically go to the PA first prior to going to ask the Orthopaedic Surgeons. I tend to consult PAs for imaging questions, exercise restrictions post-surgery, I have helped to facilitate referrals for imaging, we reviewed imaging as entry-level physiotherapists we are not trained to read x-rays (some advanced practice physiotherapists can). We have brought up concerns to the PA about potential infections, poor progression with physiotherapy, any new problems and change in health status. Some benefits of this PA/PT communication is that continuity of care is significantly faster since the PA is more accessible than the physician at our clinic, we would have to wait long or didn’t hear back.

As a physiotherapist, Rachel often collaborates on patient care with other health care providers. Here she is speaking to Steve, a physiotherapy assistant and Sylvia, a registered massage therapist.