2. Philosophy of the PTAA Program Basic Expectations Desires UN Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 The overview philosophy for the Physical Therapist Auditory Assistant (PTAA) is that we want to first address the basic needs (Level 1) of the therapist and patient, second address typically stated desires (Level 2) of the therapist and patient, and finally provide a bonus. This bonus comes in the form of unrecognized needs (Level 3) and is one of the very unique features of the PTAA.
3. PTAA Program BASIC NEEDS. In any rehabilitation setting a basic need is the assessment of the injury. This assessment provides a baseline by which any improvements are compared. This assessment should only be done with the supervision of the Physical Therapist (PT). Indeed, it is from this assessment that the PT designs a protocol prescription for rehabilitation. Basic Expectations
4. PTAA Program DESIRES. One of the most basic desires of a PT is to see the patient improve. Often this requires both in clinic and in home rehabilitation. Ideally, all of the rehabilitation would be monitored. This would allow the patient to get feedback about how they are performing and charting the progress would give both the patient and the PT information about the success of the rehabilitation prescription. Currently, the demands of the job make this very difficult to achieve. Basic Expectations Desires
5. PTAA Program UNRECOGNIZED NEEDS. In the rehabilitative process both the PT and the patient have unrecognized needs. These needs may not be apparent to the individual but by satisfying the needs there is a sense of success and completion for all parties. For the patient : Although patients typically are successful with rehabilitation in the clinical setting, they often fail in their home treatment. Without realizing it, they lose motivation at home because they receive no feedback and are not monitored. This is unfortunate because the opportunity for rehabilitative sessions is much greater at home than in the clinic (simply based on the amount of time at home versus clinic). As such, there is a great deal of wasted opportunity resulting from lack of feedback and motivation. For the PT : One of the frustrating aspects of the job of a PT is the dance of one step forward, two steps back. That is, a patient will make progress during a rehabilitative session in the clinic but will seem to regress in the time between sessions. Again, part of this reason may well be lack of home therapy sessions. This becomes even more pronounced as the time between sessions increases. As such, the entire rehabilitative process becomes inefficient which often leads to incomplete recovery for the patient. Basic Expectations Desires UN
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7. PTAA Program BASIC NEEDS. The PT assesses the extent of damage and determines the rehabilitation protocol The PTAA sensor is attached to the ankle of the patient just like an ankle bracelet Range of motion and other basic movement parameters are determined by the PT and the information is automatically logged on the computer through the PTAA interface A rehabilitation protocol is determined by the PT and that protocol as selected from the PTAA Knee Rehabilitation menu Basic Expectations
8. PTAA Program DESIRES. The PT completes a rehabilitation session on day 1 with the patient while the PTAA monitors and records movement parameters without providing feedback During the second rehabilitative session the aural feedback mechanism is active. Again the PT works with the patient on the protocol but this time the patient receives verbal feedback from the PT and aural feedback in the form of a tone from the PTAA During day three of the rehabilitation the patient completes the rehabilitation under the guidance of the PT but will primarily rely on the PTAA aural feedback mechanism After the patient has become competent in executing the rehabilitation protocol with the PTAA they will be prescribed home sessions with a set of pre-loaded rehabilitation protocols provided by the PT. These protocols will be selected from a PTAA Knee Rehabilitation menu Basic Expectations Desires
9. PTAA Program UNRECOGNIZED NEEDS. In the rehabilitative process both the PT and the patient have unrecognized needs. These needs may not be apparent to the individual but by satisfying the needs there is a sense of success and completion for all parties. For the patient : Although patients typically are successful with rehabilitation in the clinical setting, they often fail in their home treatment. Without realizing it, they lose motivation at home because they receive no feedback and are not monitored. This is unfortunate because the opportunity for rehabilitative sessions is much greater at home than in the clinic (simply based on the amount of time at hove versus clinic). As such, there is a great deal of wasted opportunity resulting from lack of feedback and motivation. For the PT : One of the frustrating aspects of the job of a PT is the dance of one step forward, two steps back. That is, a patient will make progress during a rehabilitative session in the clinic but will seem to regress in the time between sessions. Again, part of this reason may well be lack of home therapy sessions. This becomes even more pronounced as the time between sessions increases. As such, the entire rehabilitative process becomes inefficient which often leads to incomplete recovery for the patient. Basic Expectations Desires UN
10. PTAA Program UNRECOGNIZED NEEDS. Protocols will include the specific movement prescribed, the spacing between sets and repetitions, the feedback frequency and bandwidth window, and the nature of the practice schedule (constant or variable schedule). The appropriate guidelines will be based on the learning efficiency model known as Challenge Point Principle (Guadagnoli& Lee) which has been demonstrated to increase learning efficiency 3-4 times the normal rate. Because there will be constant monitoring of the movement the patient will receive feedback and the PT will receive progress reports. In both cases this will provided motivation and because the learning protocol is scientifically based the improvement should be more rapid. Basic Expectations Desires UN
