The purpose of the post this week is to find a critical source that makes an argument about physical therapy. Using what I've learned over the past several weeks, I'm going to evaluate and respond to the argument being made.
I'm going to take a look at an argument about direct access in physical therapy. Since this topic is new to me I wanted to look a little bit into what direct access was before I read the article that I found. What exactly is direct access? Direct access in physical therapy is when a patient can seek out physical therapy without needing a referral from their doctor. If they think that it would be better for them to see a physical therapist directly without going through their doctor then they can. Many of the states have already allowed some kind of direct access but a lot of it is limited. There's an arugment that physical therapists aren't qualified enough to have the opportunity to treat patients in that manner. But there is an argument about the pros to direct access and how it might affect the costs for patients and this is the argument that I'm going to be looking at.
In the study that I found, the purpose was to look at different costs of health care for patients and the outcomes that occurred with patients who were seeking physical therapy through the method of direct access. Before going into detail about the costs factor of direct access, the study briefly talks about different positive things about direct access including things like it's more convenient for patients, the waiting time for a patient can be cut down, the satisfaction of the patient was high when they chose physical therapy through direct access, and direct access promotes high quality health care in a field that before wasn't seen as a source of primary health care. Then there is the cost factor. Through several different studies that were conducted, there was a result found that direct access in physical therapy decreased the costs for patient care versus going to the doctor first and getting a referral to see a physical therapist. Data was extracted from 1,501 articles and through these articles and different screenings for finding patient outcomes, it was found in terms of money and costs direct access is a safe option.
After learning a little bit about direct access and using everything else that I have learned over the past several weeks, I think that direct access in physical therapy shouldn't even be an argument. I've learned that theres a DPT (doctorate of physical therapy) degree. If a physical therapist is at this level with their education and skill level then there should be no reason that they should be able to see a patient without a referral from their doctor. After looking into this study done, it's also good for people looking to save money or for people who are struggling and need help but can't afford to see their doctor. This is a perfect alternative route for patients and like the study concluded there was no harm done to any of the patients who chose to see a physical therapist through direct access. Thinking in terms about what I know about our economy today and the health care system, we as a country are struggling in both of those areas and direct access in physical therapy could be a step in the right direction for not only the field of physical therapy but the overall well-being and financial standing of patients.
CITATIONS
Ojha, Heidi A., Rachel S. Snyder, and Todd E. Davenport. "Direct Access Compared with Referred Physical Therapy Episodes of Care: A Systematic Review." Physical Therapy 94.1 (2014): 14-30. ProQuest. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
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