As the era of COVID-19 began with the global contagion engulfing the whole world, the healthcare systems across the world faced a daunting range of challenges. Scientific understanding of COVID-19 was considerably evolving since the World Health Organization declared it a “public health emergency of international concern” in late January 2020. The combination of unpredictable patterns and incomplete knowledge meant that planning and implementing for both an immediate and sustainable long-term pandemic response was difficult—yet absolutely critical for the care of patients, employees, and organizational survival.
PANDEMIC CHALLENGING HEALTH WORKERS AND ROLE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
The covid-19 pandemic landed all healthcare professionals across the world in an unprecedented situation, facing tremendous challenges to make impossible decisions and work under extreme pressures. These challenges ranged as how to allocate scant resources to equally needy patients and how to provide care for all severely unwell patients with constrained or inadequate resources.
Physiotherapists working in primary healthcare facilities played a significant role and faced huge challenges and being an established profession throughout the world had major contributions in assessing and treating Covid-19 patients with comorbidities. Physiotherapy proved promising and beneficial in the respiratory treatment and physical rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19. Physiotherapists who practice in the ICU environment also provided airway clearance techniques for ventilated patients who show signs of inadequate airway clearance and they can assist in positioning patients with severe respiratory failure associated with COVID-19, including the use of prone position to optimize oxygenation.
ADAPTING TELE-REHABILITATION AT CB PHYSIOTHERAPY IN TIMES OF COVID
Tele-Rehab has emerged as a great tool to help deliver physiotherapy services remotely to patients. Tele- Rehabilitation has significantly contributed towards the sustainable care of patients who were looking for quality care at home in the global contagion. By embracing technology, physios are now able to offer recovery & pain management sessions remotely through online channels (aka Telehealth, Virtual Physiotherapy, online Consultations, and e-Health).
At CB Physiotherapy early adoption of telehealth was of immense help in adapting to the new normal. With our Exercise Prescription software TelePT, Our Physiotherapists were quick to adapt to the new normal and help patients in their recovery while staying at home. Physiotherapists at CB Physiotherapy & across the world were able to continue delivering physio care to patients even during lockdowns & stay at home guidelines. As the experts in the respective fields, physiotherapists at CB Physiotherapy guided patients in how exercise and various home-based treatment modalities can help recovery at home. Exercise Prescription software like TelePT by CB Physiotherapy should be leveraged to provide video instructions & make understanding exercises easy for the patients. At CB Physiotherapy, we also have conducted tele physiotherapy sessions to NRIs stuck in other parts of the world.
Hence, it is very important for us to identify, recognize and appreciate the efforts and importance of physiotherapy practitioners in their contribution to delivery of healthcare. Not only that but for the general health of population, awareness needs to be created to highlight the benefits of physiotherapy and how it can help people in the management of pain, maintaining mobility & improving the overall quality of life.