Can PTs make BETTER decisions than physicians?

This International Classification on Functioning (ICF) video describes the unifying framework between the physician and the physical therapy frameworks by Gerold Stucki, MD at the University of Sydney in July 2009.

The link to the video can be found within the World Confederation on Physical Therapy (WCF) December newsletter.
Leaders in rehabilitation research aim to unify the Medical model (eg: pathology) with the Biopsychosocial model (eg: functioning).

The ICF is to be the unifying framework that provides a 'common understanding and dictionary of functioning'.

Imagine a physician asking you for the physical therapy diagnosis for a particular patient.

How would you respond?

What treatment recommendations would you make?

On what would you base your decisions?

What measurements justify your decisions?

Can you make decisions better than physicians?

How to use the International Classification of Function

The value of any model is the ease with which people can adapt the model to their own ends and needs.

The International Classification of Functioning is a simple, powerful model that serves the needs of many stakeholders.

Physical therapist can use the ICF Browser to classify and diagnose their patients.

Physical therapy educators can use the ICF framework to train PT students to treat and measure function.

Researchers can use the ICF framework to measure outcomes of physical therapy interventions.

Government policymakers can use the ICF codes to collect, understand and manipulate data on the consequences of health conditions.

Professional societies, such as the APTA, can use the ICF to more accurately align their role in the health care system.

Non-governmental organizations, like the World Health Organization, can use the ICF to guide disability management.

Finally, for my purposes, the ICF is a tool that I can use to to help my physical therapists and physical therapist assistant staff write Bulletproof Notes for Medicare compliance in my outpatient physical therapy clinic.