MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

ABSTRACT:
Patients of all ages, genders, race, and ethnicities require and search for an excellent and fitting physical therapists to treat them. According to the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) article that predicts the “supply and demand of physical therapists” between 2010 and 2025, there will be a shortage of 26,560 physical therapists by the year 2025, with the attrition rate of 3.5% (APTA, 2017). This is projected to happen due to the estimated increase in demand for PTs from people with health insurance, despite the growth in the number of graduates from PT programs (APTA, 2017). Everyone faces the chance of an injury or a musculoskeletal pathology that would require physical therapy prior to, post, or in place of surgery. A positive physical therapist- patient relationship has been proven to benefit the patient mentally and physically. However, many times PTs fail to communicate properly to their patients; they often assume that their patients understand the purpose of specific exercises and the medical terminology employed, but patients do not. Additionally, many PTs approach all patients with a similar way, despite their age, gender, and medical condition, and do not become personable. Therefore, my guide will go through three exemplary scenarios of an elderly, a child, and an athlete in a PT session, in which the PT responds correctly and respectfully. These scenarios should act as a model of communication for PTs in the future.

READER’S PROFILE:
I imagine a reader who is a physical therapist, or just graduating physical therapy school, who would argue that every PT and patient is different, making every PT-patient relationship different.

READER’S RESPONSE:

The conversations and tips that are written in this guide sound great; however, all PT-patient relationships are different. Therefore, to convey proper communication to patients is based on the specific relationship, as one response might work for one patient, but might backfire for another. It is nearly impossible to make a guide that encompasses all aspects of the relationship.

S, you are addressing that reader by showing different patient settings. So, that is powerful.

Do I see your ABT statement here?

I would use formal citation (in text) and sources for this medical setting.