Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T21:26:32.505Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Preliminary Investigation into the Role of Physiotherapists in Disaster Response

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Rosalind M. Harrison
Rosalind M. Harrison*
Affiliation:
Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom
*
Rosalind M. Harrison Flat 1, 64 Graham Road London E8 1BX, UK E-mail: rozharrison21@hotmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction:

Increasingly, disasters and disaster response have become prominent issues in recent years. Despite their involvement, there have been almost no investigations into the roles of physiotherapists in emergency disaster responses.Additionally, physiotherapists are not employed in emergency disaster response by many of the principal non-governmental organizations supplying such care, although they are included in military responses in the United States and United Kingdom, and in Disaster Medical Assistance Teams in the US.This paper, based on a small qualitative study, focuses on the potential role and nature of input of physiotherapists in disaster response.

Methods:

A qualitative approach was chosen due to the emergent nature of the phenomenon. Four physiotherapists, all of whom had been involved in some type of disaster response, agreed to participate. Semi-structured telephone interviews were used to explore participants' experiences following disaster response, and to gain ideas about future roles for physiotherapists. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and later analyzed using coding and categorization of data.

Results:

Four main themes emerged: (1) descriptions of disasters; (2) current roles of the physiotherapist; (3) future roles of physiotherapists; and (4) overcoming barriers. Although all four physiotherapists had been ill-prepared for disaster response, they took on multiple roles, primarily in organization and treatment. However, participants identified several barriers to future involvement, including organizational and professional barriers, and gave suggestions for overcoming these.

Conclusions:

The participants had participated in disaster response, but in ill-defined roles, indicating a need for a greater understanding of disaster response among the physiotherapy community and by organizations supplying such care. The findings of this study have implications for such organizations in terms of employing skilled physiotherapists in order to improve disaster response. In future disasters, physiotherapy will be of benefit in treating and preventing rescue worker injury and treating musculoskeletal, critical, respiratory, and burn patients.

Keywords

allied health professionsdisasterdisaster responsedisaster teamdisaster team formationemergency responsemultidisciplinary teamphysiotherapyroles of physiotherapy
Type
Brief Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 22 , Issue 5 , October 2007 , pp. 462 - 465
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters: Definition of a disaster. Available at http://www.pitt.edu/AFShome/e/p/epi2170/public/html/lecture15/ sld007.htm. Accessed 21 October 2006.Google Scholar
2.Noji, E (ed.): The Public Health Consequences of Disasters. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.Google Scholar
3.Saquib, D, Rendell, A, Farmer, J, Carlton, P: Worldwide disaster medicine response: An historical perspective. Crit Care Med 2005;33(1):s2–s6.Google Scholar
4.Waldrop, S: Physical therapists' vital role in disaster management. In PT (Physical Therapy) 2002;10(6):42–48.Google Scholar
5.US Public Health Service Office of Emergency Readiness: A Guide for the Deployment of Therapist Officers 2004.Available at http://www.cc.nih.gov/ rm/pt/handbook.pdf. Accessed 07 April 2005.Google Scholar
6.Limb, M: Ready and waiting. In Physiotherapy Frontline, 19th February 2003. Available at http://www.csp.org.uk/libraryandinformation/publications/ frontline/archive.cfm?id=409. Accessed on 26/09/ 2004.Google Scholar
7.Grissom, T, Farmer, J: The provision of sophisticated critical care beyond the hospital: Lessons from physiology and military experiences that apply to civil disaster medical response. Crit Care Med 2005;33(1):s13–s21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Bortolotti, D: Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Medecines sans Frontiers. Ontario: Firefly Books, 2004.Google Scholar
9.Polgar, S, Thomas, SA: Introduction to Research in the Health Sciences. 4th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 2000.Google Scholar
10.Bowling, A: Research Methods in Health: Investigating Health and Health Services. 2nd ed. Buckingham: Open University Press, 2002.Google Scholar
11.Rando, F:When seconds count: Preparing respiratory therapists for mass casualty incident response. Available at: http://www.aarc.org/headlines/rtsandmasscasualties. asp. Accessed 07 April 2005.Google Scholar
12.Schnitzer, J, Briggs, S: Earthquake relief—The US medical response in Bam, Iran. N Eng J Med 2004;350(12):1174–1176.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Woods, E: The emergency department: A new opportunity for physical therapy. Available at: http://www.apta.org/bulletin?&tpl[1]=past. Accessed 29 September 2004.Google Scholar
14.Kolt, G, Wajswelner, H, Adonis, M, Levin, P, Shell, A, Srage, M, Steinweg, J: Injury toll following the 1997 Maccabiah games bridge collapse. Sports Med 2000;30(1):63–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.California Emergency Medical Services Authority: Disaster medical assistance team—Why respiratory therapists on DMAT teams? Available at http://www.emsa.ca.gov/dms2/resp_therapist_flyer.doc. Accessed 07 April 2005.Google Scholar