Thoughts on acute care

Hi Angela - That is too bad that was the kind of care that you observed. I would hope the PT would not only assess transfers, gait and bed mobility but range of motion, strength, posture, balance and other variables as well. I know in many hospitals PTA's are utilized and are expected to follow the plan of care developed by the physical therapist. This is in their scope of expertise and as a PT that has worked in an acute setting in the past, I have no problem with them working with patients as long as they follow my plan of care. You are right that with the costs of healthcare and the ever changing dyanmics of healthcare reform, stays are shorter. Does that mean that patient care should be compromised? Definitely not. The goal you mentioned is to ensure that the patient is safe and can attain the highest level of function prior to discharge. Strength, ROM, balance, etc. are all factors whic can contribute to achieving the functional tasks you had mentioned the therapists you observed were having their patients work on and should be incorporated into treatment as well. At the facility which you shadowed at, how many PT's were working in the acute care department?  I know at times case loads can fluctuate in the acute setting, but the PT department should have a game plan for this so that patient care should not be compromised. I guess the question the PT's should be asking there is, would I be happy if that was the kind of therapy my family member is receiving? If not, than they definitely need to reexamine the way things are done in their department.