The Path To Care Is Winding
Written by Jodie Pulsifer | Reviewed by Adrienne Sim
The therapeutic relationship is a very important part of successful treatment. You need to feel safe in care and trust in your provider to help you in your health journey.
We know that your physiotherapy care starts long before your appointment starts. It may begin when your healthcare provider recommending getting care or a friend tells you they have an awesome provider they trust. You might read our bios that we’ve made to try and reflect our personalities and style of practice so that you can get a sense of who we are and if we might be the right fit for you. You might think about care but decide it’s not the right time. You might look at our schedules and locations and it’s not the right fit. There might be finances or childcare logistics that feel challenging to overcome. We know this all too well because we experience this too. As healthcare professionals, we know all too well how difficult it is to try and reach out to get help for our own health!
“BOOK”
If you make it through all of those navigations and click to book an appointment with one of us. You can book a virtual or in person initial assessment depending on your location and preference. People often assume that physiotherapists have to see you and put our hands on you to understand what is happening in your body. The reality is, we are the most effective with understanding your body when we take the time to throw the net wide and capture the fuller story of your health.
“INTAKE FORM”
When you book an appointment, our booking system will send you an intake form to fill out. This will include detailed questions about your health history, including your social connections, life obligations, relationships, habits and patterns can help us put a number of puzzle pieces together with more clarity. It will also include an opportunity to add your insurance information if you want us to direct bill for your physiotherapy services.
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As you answer this form, we know it is long and we truly value the time you take to complete it. We have carefully put those questions together with the diversity of training that we have because it helps us get a fuller picture of your health. We also know that sometimes it feels impossible to answer more questions about your health and we can work with you wherever you are and with whatever you feel you can fill out.
“APPOINTMENT”
When we arrive together to your appointment, virtually or in person, we will take the time to ask you what you hope to get from your visit with us. We can briefly review your intake form and then take time to ask more probing questions and begin to dialogue about your health. We will give you space to ask questions, we can provide education and strategies for your health and discuss what options we might be able to provide to support you, including a physical assessment and treatment strategies. Together we can decide what might be the most meaningful next step in your care.
If we have more time in an appointment, virtually we could watch your movement patterns and provide you movement support. In person we can put our hands on externally to assess patterns of movement and provide input to your body. If you have pelvic health concerns, we could perform a pelvic floor exam to provide feedback to your movement patterns and education about your body.
“TREATMENT PLAN”
As the appointment unfolds, we will check back in to make sure we are working to meet the needs and expectations that you had when you came into care. We can adjust the appointment to make sure it continues to support your needs while working with the skills of each provider. The best plan forward is one that is adaptable, where you feel safe to ask questions, where you feel you can return to care in a timeline that is appropriate for you and that your provider is adaptable to your needs.
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