• We have a formal position within our clinic devoted to communication. This communications manager helps facilitate our team interactions and maintain open lines of dialogue. Case Study Interprofessional collaboration has long been an essential tent in healthcare. While many manual therapists offer similar treatment approaches, each person has a specific niche and skill set that can be maximized to enhance the patient experience. We are advocates of using a collaborative team-based ap-proach, whether the patient requires one profession or multiple, with open com-munication amongst health care profes-sionals and the patient to provide opti-mal results and an amazing therapeutic experience. Communication with the patient to ensure they understand their condition and their proposed course of care, as well aa communication amongst health care professionals is key. While the approach our team uses may not necessarily be ideal for every clinic or practitioner, we utilize the fol-lowing forms of communication: • We have well-defined vision and mis-sion statements for the clinic. Each therapist is encouraged to use these statements and develop their own, to help guide them. • Weekly division meetings and cndoctor.ca bimonthly team meetings ensure our entire team is aligned in terms of providing cost-effective and time effi-cient care based on the patient’s diag-nosis and management plan. We uti-lize our differential diagnoses to provide patient education as well as a combination of active and passive therapies that can be done both in-of-fice and at home. • Coaching sessions are offered amongst our team to ensure trust and enhance both communication and the quality of care we provide. • We encourage open lines of commu-nication regarding cases, patients, re-search, and treatment techniques. • All of our health care professionals utilize an electronic medical record in accordance with their respective col-lege guidelines. This allows all of our professionals to share assessment and treatment notes, and communicate regarding patient progress. Be sure to consult your relevant college guide-lines concerning patient information. Here is one example of how our team functions as an interdisciplinary unit: Recently, a 12-year old skier presented to the clinic with a chief complaint of left knee pain. The pain occurred fol-lowing an incident on the ski hill, where his skis become crossed, and he experienced a valgus collapse with tibial internal rotation. He presented to the chiropractor, who performed an assessment and felt that the issue was primarily mechanical rather than structural. Following a manual therapy treatment, he was referred to the phys-iotherapist for manual therapy and rehabilitation. After a brief discussion between the two health care profes-sionals, they agreed that as a precau-tion, they would advise the patient to consult with a sports physician for imaging if the pain did not subside within two weeks. This allowed the two independent health care professionals to observe the patient and assess his injury. While we did not evaluate the interrater reliability of our assessments, we agreed regarding the treatment plan. Throughout this process, there was open dialogue and sharing of clinic notes between the various health care professionals involved in the case. Following his acute phase of treatment, our patient was able to walk and run pain-free with a full range of motion in his knee. While he still had mild pain with more challenging movements, such as cutting and jumping, he was doing much better. The chiropractor that initiated the plan of management then sat in on treatment with the phys-iotherapist to observe the patient and maintain open communication. To have a truly interdisciplinary practice requires trust, open communi-cation with the patient and across health care professionals, an ability to change and adapt the treatment plan based on shared decision making, and a focus on patient satisfaction. At the end of the day, patient satisfaction is paramount. We encourage you to assess your op-erations and ask if the care you provide is multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary. May 2020 Chiropractic and Naturopathic Doctor 11 Photo: © AYAimages / Adobe Stock
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor May 2020: Page 11
