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What Is Direct Patient Care?

To the Editor:

After reading Bohannon's "Productivity Among Physical Therapists: An Evaluation of One Department" (Phys Ther 64:1242–1244, 1984) and Raynaud's "Productivity: Efficiency? Effectiveness? or Both?" (Clinical Management 4(4): 12–14,1984), I am convinced that the term "direct care" requires redefinition.

The term most often means those services provided during face-to-face contact with the patient. Services provided by the physical therapist in a non-face-to-face situation are called indirect services or other titles descriptive of the behaviors performed.

As a clinician and direct provider of physical therapy services, I am required to perform many functions that directly benefit the patient. Yet, many of these functions/services are performed within a nonface-to-face situation. Such services range from meetings with interdisciplinary team members to expenditure of personal time, money, and effort in fabricating tools and equipment needed by an individual in my direct care. Most indirect services are not currently recognized as chargeable units of time.

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Related Article

Productivity Among Physical Therapists: An Evaluation of One Department

Richard W Bohannon
Physical Therapy 1984 64: 1242-1244. [Abstract] [PDF]