Multidisciplinary Responsibilities

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Multidisciplinary Responsibilities

Introduction
In the early days of hospitals and nursing the care team consisted of a physician and the nurse at the bedside. The nurse was responsible for all facets of patient care. If the patient needed to get up and re-learn to ambulate it was the nurses responsibility to make sure that this was done. All phases of the patients rehabilitation was the responsibility of the nurse.
In today’s world many facets of rehabilitation have been specialized. The nurse has the assistance of specialist in many areas of rehabilitation. There is physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, nutritional assistance and the pharmacist. In this paper I will try to describe the legal responsibilities as well as the scope of practice of these ancillary personnel at the disposal of today’s nurse.

Physical Therapist
Physical therapy is a professional who is responsible for the management of the patient’s physical mobility (Tabers, 2001) or the art and science of physical or corrective rehabilitation (Ca. Business and professions code section 2620-2622). The physical therapist can treat physical disability through the use of physical, chemical, light, water, and exercise (active and passive). They must also submit an evaluation, and a treatment plan. They are also part of the multidisciplinary care team meeting to evaluate patient progress and implement any changes to the plan of care.
Physical therapist may apply certain topical medications as part of their practice but are not allowed to prescribe medications or diagnose disease (Ca. Business and professions code 2620-2622). Physical therapist are not authorized to practice medicine, surgery or any other form of healing except as authorized by the Ca. business and professional code.

Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapists help people improve their ability to perform tasks in their daily living. They help people r...