The world has changed dramatically in only a few weeks.
It has only been two weeks since we started providing online consultations at Good Country Physiotherapy and I must admit at first, I queried whether it could work.
Could we, as physiotherapists, replicate our assessments and treatments online and facilitate a speedy recovery without touching a client…..? The question has been answered faster and more confidently than I would have thought possible. Yes, we can.
The suspicion has always been that the best physiotherapists are those who listen. As I chatted and listened to clients online over the last two weeks, it reaffirmed what the most important aspects of our job are - identifying with the client what the underlying problem is, and designing a treatment plan that works for them. The key information is often what you the client tells us not what tests we do.
With online consultations, we still have the ability to analyse how you move, we are still able to suggest modifications to how you work and play and we still demonstrate exercises and work with you in designing a treatment plan. It is interesting how online consultations, I believe, have focused and sharpened our minds as to what is really important in the consultation. The only negative in all of this, if there is one, is I have finally had to say goodbye to my beloved stickman drawings which have received equal amounts of ridicule and praise over the years (not so much praise). For those of you who have them stuck to your fridge doors, look after them, they may be worth a fortune in years to come.
Online consultations work seamlessly with our existing online exercise software so your exercise program can now be uploaded straight to your smart phone. We can even monitor your symptoms remotely while you perform the exercises at home. In short, online consultations can be a great way to get expert advice and management without leaving your house. These changes have all occurred faster than any one of us expected and we wait apprehensively to see what might happen next.
Of course, the speed of change in our clinic and in our community has all been driven by one factor. I’d like to take the opportunity now to ask everyone to continue following the government’s directions on social distancing. Stay at home and stay healthy. It might not be the Easter we had planned but there will be many more opportunities for large family gatherings in the future. The world around us has changed and we need to look after each other more than ever before.
Finally, I’d like to say I am extremely proud to work with such a great team of health care professionals at GCP.
It has been a hard and difficult few weeks but the attitude and effort from our staff has been both uplifting and inspiring. Thank you also to all the hospital staff and medical staff at our local GP practices for their continued efforts on behalf of our communities.
Stay safe/ Stay home.
Kieran O’Donovan
Director/Senior Physiotherapist
Good Country Physiotherapy