Physiotherapy and Covid-19
How has the profession adapted in Trinidad and Tobago?
Social Distance!
No Contact!
Keep 6 Feet Apart!
The above phrases are the antithesis of most physiotherapists’ nature at their core.
We are trained to touch and feel for abnormalities in soft tissues; manipulate and mobilize joints to assist with realignment. So, telling us “hands off” was a tough blow to many of us in the profession, as we grow to really trust our hands when treating patients.
Thankfully however, we are not 100% dependent on our tactile skills. We are also skilled at observing movement, to determine potential cause of the patient’s mobility restriction or pain. In addition, we use a prudent line of questioning to gather relevant information to aid with diagnosis of the patient’s condition.
In a typical physiotherapy session, all components of investigation are used, including tactile, visual and oral skills.
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and mandatory restrictions put in place in Trinidad and Tobago to help save lives, the tactile part of our investigation was initially totally prohibited.
So how did we adjust, to still provide our patients with much needed care?
- Telehealth – Many physiotherapists took advantage of technology and conducted video sessions via applications like Zoom or Google Meet. In this way they maximized their visual and oral powers of investigation to effectively treat patients.
As restrictions were minimally lifted, and we were able to welcome some of our beloved patients back through our doors, we took measures to adhere to public health regulations: - Minimize patient load – Physiotherapy clinics across Trinidad and Tobago triaged patients, so only those most urgently in need, and/or those who were not capable of taking part in a telehealth visit, were allowed to attend in- person sessions. This served to minimize the number of people traversing clinic spaces.
I am confident in speaking on behalf of all physiotherapists in Trinidad and Tobago, when I say we cannot wait to welcome ALL our patients back into our respective clinics, and be able to fully flex our physio muscles, so to speak.
Until then, let’s all continue to Watch our distance, Wear our masks, and Wash our hands.
Safiya de Four, DPT
