All Physios Like Cake!

My second day on outpatients in Anuradhapura teaching hospital, Sri Lanka. Today allowed to assess and treat my own patients, with help here and there for translation: I had 3 orthopaedic cases and 2 chests. I carried out my own assessments and treatments, made treatment plans and gave the patients exercises to complete at home and then explained my processes to the other physiotherapists. All the concepts we use to assess and treat are exactly the same the only differences are the resources available and the time to assess and treat patients. 

They don’t use stethoscopes to assess chest patients either so it tested my palpation and assessment skills I picked up from my previous respiratory placement! 

One of my orthopaedic patients was carried in on a sheet by two of his friends as he had broke both femurs and his tibia in a RTA as well as breaking his right radius and is currently non-weight bearing. It was quite a shock to see them carrying a full grown man into the department on just a simple sheet. The physiotherapists’ were very interested in my documentation and the way we collect data from patients at home.

Today tested my assessment and treatment planning skills with a variety of different patients as well as my use of non-verbal communication. Having to reason and explain everything that I am doing I think will help my long-term when going home and thinking about clinical reasoning.

To end the day we had cup of Sri Lanka tea (which was very sweet) and a slice of cake as it was one of the physios’ birthdays. It does seem that physiotherapists everywhere really do like their cake!!