An Image Does Not Represent Content

We’ve been told that a research abstract isn’t enough to truly know the value of the research. We’ve been told that we need to do critical thinking about the research article.

The conversation and likes and retweets around a particular tweet makes me hackle. The online energy revolves around a single image and an assumption. Why is the focus directed toward an attitude that these physiotherapists are hypocrites?

The content within the link makes me pause and think. What is mentioned within the link actually feels somewhat like a threat. The way we practice will continue to evolve…. what IS in store for physiotherapists in the future?

A real discussion: So, if we know that general practitioners are not trained as well in the area of musculoskeletal problems as physiotherapists are, do the physiotherapists providing the telephone assessment service immediately believe what the general practitioners determine?

Then, what kind of screening process has been implemented? What’s being screened? And what is the goal of the screening process? I am assuming the goal is to determine if a face to face evaluation and treatment episode of care is required. What was the evidence used when creating the screening process? How reliable is it? How effective is it?

Interesting information too: physiotherapists highly value self-efficacy and self-management. 55 percent of callers were able to self-manage. So, when it comes to our practices, are we over treating? When we do have patients, are our services over utilized? What can we learn from this and extrapolate it to the services we provide?

I can appreciate what these physiotherapists are doing. They have reduced the wait time for needed care. They have created patients who will have high self-efficacy. They have reduced costs to the patients. Will this be part of our future role as physiotherapists?

An image only scratches the surface in social media. I have many questions from what was shared – and not one of them resides in poking fun at the physiotherapists in the image.

Your thoughts?

Until next time,

Selena