P-3-16-02
FUTURE PHYSIOTHERAPISTS: ATTITUDES AND WISHES OF MEDICAL SCHOOL STUDENTS
Sekelj-Kauzlaric K., Cop-Rupic R., Potrebica S.
(Med. Rehabilit. Cent. Var. Toplice, Croatia)
The answers of thirty therapists in the age of 16 and attending the Second Form of Secondary Medical School, were analysed. They answer anonymously twenty questions. In 96,7% none of the parents were medical workers or a physiotherapist.66,7% out of 30 students had in previous schooling the grade point average "excellent". Only 3,3% had the grade point average "good".
We were happy to find out that 63% of the pupils attended the School for therapists at their own wish. 80% of students knew what a therapist was even before going to the school.36,6% students were informed about the profession by their parents.33,3% got the information from the media.
"Humaneness and the wish to help" was the motivation for 43,3% of students. A large number of our students (30%) wish to continue education at a Medical College (93,3%) and at a Faculty of Medicine (only 2O%).
It is also interesting that 46,6% of the students "wish to become a physiotherapist" now more than at the beginning of their schooling. All thirty students say that this is "a difficult, yet an interesting profession".
P-3-16-03
THE USE OF TELECONFERENCING FOR FAMILY EDUCATION DURING REHABILITATION
John P. Marchin, M.D.; Gertie Schuechner, C.C.S.W. (Memorial Hospital; South Bend, Indiana, U.S.A.)
Case management and discharge planning are critical elements ill managing care during inpatient rehabilitation. An essential component in this complex operation involves timely communication with the patient, family members and assorted caregivers. Breakdown in this process can occur when family or caregivers are unable to attend family conferences due to work schedules or geographic separation. To remedy this problem, we regularly utilize family teleconferences to facilitate communication from rehabilitation staff to patient's family and caregivers. Our methodology for this meeting requires special telecommunication equipment including speaker phones and telephone lines that can accommodate numerous local and long distance phone calls. During these conferences, considerations are made in sharing information to those individuals who are not present physically during the discussion. Our experience has been very favorable utilizing this method of family conferencing, and several case studies are presented as examples which outline our specific procedures. We conclude that teleconferences when indicated greatly enable the patient, family members, caregivers, and rehabilitation staff to participate in decision making related to coordination of care and discharge planning.
