Partnering with Parents to Enhance Family-centered Care

Physical therapists (PTs) have been taught to use Family-Centered Care (FCC) because it improves outcomes and parent satisfaction with the care they are receiving. Yet, the literature suggests PTs need to improve their delivery of this style of care. For example, when treating children with developmental disabilities, therapy goals and treatment plans often don’t reflect the priorities of the family or patient.
This course will review how a large outpatient and homecare physical therapy department has enhanced the partnership between parent and PTs using evidence-based interventions. A step-by-step process will be shared to help therapists obtain vital information from the family to set meaningful participation level goals. This process combines 3 evidence-based approaches including the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), motivational interviewing, and the F-words. Case examples of video-taped parent interviews using this technique will be shared.
We will also discuss emerging models of FCC treatment techniques including Goals Activity Motor Enrichment (GAME), Coping With and Caring for Infants with Special Needs (COPCA), coaching, and more. We will share information extracted from these techniques currently being used at our hospital to enhance parent engagement, home exercise carry-over, and the incorporation of daily practice into the family’s routine. Videos of therapists and families engaging during treatment sessions will be shared to emphasize important aspects of FCC. Participants will leave this course feeling empowered to engage families of children with developmental disabilities in goal setting and treatment.