Learning from Care Coordinators – How we adapted trans-professional practice into home-based Allied Health services, during the Victorian COVID-19 pandemic response and beyond.
Andrea Pearce1, Lauren Growse11Monash Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Abstract
BACKGROUND: During the Victorian COVID-19 pandemic, there was limited access to home-based allied health services including Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy.
For many years Care-coordinators in our emergency departments have applied trans-professional practice using a suite of competency-based programs linked to credentialing processes, to ensure clinician competence.
AIM: To implement trans-professional practice to meet immediate patient needs and reduce the number of potential close contacts, by contextualising existing competency-based programs.
METHOD: Relevant stakeholders identified the skills needed to achieve the team’s objectives, focussing on timely provision and setup of basic adaptive equipment, mobility aids, as well as transfer and mobility reviews.
To manage risk, workflows and patient triage were explored, scope of the practice was defined and mechanisms for seeking supervision, escalating, and initiating a profession-specific patient review were established.
Existing training programs were contextualised for the workgroup and included establishing how clinician competence would be assessed.
During a trial period, data was collected and stakeholders discussed the benefits and challenges.
RESULTS: Clinician reported benefits included timely management of immediate risks in the home, closer teamwork and more effective use of time. Efficient training methods, ensuring clinicians worked within agreed scope of practice, and not oversimplifying traditional profession-specific skills, were important concerns addressed. Agreement by internal stakeholders to continue beyond the trial period, was achieved.
CONCLUSION: Established trans-professional practice can be contextualised to other contexts, to meet patient needs with appropriate safeguards in place.
IMPLICATIONS: This example supports the exploration of trans-professional practice as an alternate workforce model for other contexts.
Biography
Annie is a Physiotherapist and Allied Health Professional Practice Advisor at Monash Health. She has a strong foundation in competency-based training as a qualified educator and has developed and implemented competency, credentialing and capability programs to support changing scope of practice, health workforce innovation and reform, and safety and quality initiatives at the local, state and national level. She is a member of the Victorian AHA Workforce plan advisory committee, the Credentialing and scope of practice Advisor for the State-wide Equipment Program and has completed project work for several national and local agencies.