Undergraduate - UnitPTY1011 - Physiotherapy 1

On completion of this unit, students will be able to:

Theme 1:

• identify issues that affect transition from school to university and develop strategies for maintaining mental and physical health;
• demonstrate a range of effective tertiary level study skills (eg. effective use of library and information technology and use of writing style guide);
• list the attributes that define a profession and societies expectations of a professional;
• identify the professionals who make up the health care team and describe their roles and responsibilities;
• work collaboratively in interdisciplinary learning groups and recognise the factors which determine effective teamwork;
• identify the key ethical and legal principles and theories that underpin health care policy and practice;
• demonstrate recommended work practices with respect to manual handling and standard precautions;
• develop basic skills professional communication including report and record writing;

Theme 2:

• reflect on own values and assumptions regarding health and wellbeing;
• discuss health, wellbeing and disability in terms of the diversity of definitions and concepts;
• define, compare and contrast biological and ecological models of health;
• explain the World Health Organisation International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework and its applications to health and social care practice;
• identify the socio-cultural, economic and physical determinants of health;
• identify inequalities in health and utilisation of service and the underlying reasons;
• critically reflect on contemporary debates regarding responsibility for health and the role for governments and private enterprise;
• reflect on the philosophical and ideological underpinnings of various perspectives on health and examine their implications for health and social care practice;
• describe the current legislative environmental and implications for Occupational Health and Safety in the clinical environment;

Theme 3:

• describe the development and structure of the lower limb;
• describe the biomechanics and kinesiology of the lower limb;
• describe the physiology of the musculoskeletal system, the effects of damage to structures and mechanisms of repair;
• describe the pathophysiology of inflammation;
• describe the principles of pharmacological management of pain and inflammation;
• detail the theory supporting the use of electrophysical agents: external cooling and superficial heating for conditions of the lower limb;

Theme 4:

• use the principles of record keeping to record the outcome of the patient history;
• take a patient history and perform a physical examination of the lower limb;
• apply physiotherapy techniques to the lower limb in a safe and effective manner;
• assess the effectiveness of a physiotherapy technique and modify progress according to re-assessment findings;
• apply the principles of manual handling and risk minimisation to oneself and to the simulated client;
• apply the principles of biomechanics to the management of lower limb;
• demonstrate ethical principles, respect and understanding of patient needs in communication with patients, care givers and the multidisciplinary team appropriate to a simulated situation;

Theme 5:

• distinguish between beliefs about effective health care and evidence of intervention effectiveness;
• recognise uncertainty in health care and the role of research in resolving uncertainty and evaluating health care practices;
• frame answerable clinical questions;
• recognise sources of bias that confound interpretation of study outcomes;
• state the strengths and weaknesses of different epidemiological study designs;
• appreciate the role of outcomes measures in the assessment and monitoring of health status; and
• define and compare qualitative and quantitative research