Navigating a Changing Landscape: Role of PT in the Emergency Department
Description
Description: The Emergency Department (ED) serves as the “front porch” to the hospital, with most patients being discharged without hospital admission as healthcare transitions to a value-based care approach. In addition, the patients receiving care in the ED are aging, with over 23.1 million annual ED visits occurring amongst those over the age of 65. Physical therapists are well positioned to be part of the interdisciplinary team in the “front porch” model of ED care to avoid unnecessary admissions and facilitate appropriate care transitions, particularly for older adults. Despite the clear impact of physical therapy in the ED, uptake of this clinical specialty area has been limited. This symposium focuses on the latest evidence supporting the role physical therapists play in improving outcomes for older adults within the emergency department setting. This course will present an overview of the current literature supporting PT outcomes in the emergency departments, guidelines for screening and assessment, and ways to address current ED challenges through physical therapy integration. Strategies for creating a business case to justify additional staffing resources leveraging data from the electronic health record and other hospital initiatives will also be discussed.
Objectives:
1. Evaluate the current literature supporting PT integration into the emergency department.
2. Describe the unique needs of older adults in the ED and the benefits of PT evaluation before discharge.
3. Apply evidence and data to create an appropriate PT ED model.
About The Speaker(s)
Suzie Ryer PT , DPT, GCS is the Director of Senior Services at Advocate Health. She is a physical therapist who is board certified in Geriatrics with nearly 20 years of clinical experience in a variety of clinical settings. Her focus is on interdisciplinary geriatric care with emphasis on fall prevention and emergency department care. She has led efforts to create Geriatric emergency departments in a large health system and serves on multiple national expert panels and task forces to standardize practice around the care of patients presenting to the emergency department after a fall. Suzie has created interdisciplinary fall prevention and mobility programs improve clinical outcomes and combat hospital-associated disability and readmission. Suzie is the co-chair of the Milwaukee County Falls Prevention Coalition and Suzie serves on the Executive Council for the Southeastern Regional Trauma Advisory Council and the steering committee of the Falls Free WI Coalition. Suzie has published and presented nationally on topics related to community fall prevention and care in the geriatric emergency department.
