Episode 35: Telehealth Tips for Physical Therapists

One of the few positives from the pandemic was the widespread access to telehealth medical services. Our bet is that it’s here to stay. We have been providing telehealth PT since March 2021. We recognize that while it’s convenient for patients and providers, it does change the way we interact with our patients. Additionally, providing telehealth from your own home creates unique challenges for providers. 

In this episode, we focus on how to prepare and care for yourself to provide telehealth. We explore the way that communication changes when it’s virtual and we offer tips that have helped us be more comfortable over video. Finally, we discuss the unexpected benefits of not touching patients, for them and for us. Whether you currently provide telehealth or not, this episode will stir up questions for you to consider that can advance your connection with patients! 

Highlights from our conversation in Episode 35

• (0:34) Introduction 
• (1:37) Ensuring patient privacy
• (3:37) Curating your workspace 
• (9:58) Self-care tips for clinicians providing telehealth from home  
• (14:38) Building rapport 
• (16:14) Identifying who to refer to in-person PT 
• (19:08) Nonverbal communication 
• (21:10) Expressing empathy over video 
• (25:58) The unexpected benefits of losing physical touch
• (32:58) Our thoughts on the future of telehealth 

Thank you for listening to The Conscious Clinician. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and write a review for the podcast so we can reach more people!

Resources from Episode 35

• Nocebo effect (17:31) Episode 12: Our Words Have the Power to Heal and Harm
• Legislature and bills for telehealth (34:42) APTA Advocacy for Telehealth

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