PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is a branch of medical science and is conducted under medical supervision. Physical therapy may be defined as the treatment of patient’s disabilities from disease, injury or loss of a body part with therapeutic exercise, heat, cold, water, light, electricity, ultra sound or massage. The term rehabilitation as defined by the World Health Organization is:
"A combined and coordinated effort to use Therapeutically, Pedagogical and Occupational means to reach the highest possible level of functional ability."
Rehabilitation is a dynamic active program that enables an ill and disabled person to achieve his greatest possible level of physical, psychological, mental, social and economic functioning. How close he comes to achieving this goal determines the degree to which he becomes a socially and economically independent member of society. Modern rehabilitation is a process whereby a patient adjusts to a disability by learning how to integrate all of his resources and to concentrate more on existing abilities than on the permanent disabilities he must live with.
Rehabilitation is teamwork, which is one of the fundamental pillars of rehabilitation care. An interdisciplinary team is composed of several individuals of varied background with the common purpose of treating the patients.
Psysiatrists are specialists in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and have completed residency program in PM&R
Physical Therapy ( PT ) : To increase a patient’s mobility , strength and general conditioning
Occupational Therapy ( OT ) : To help the patient perform task and activities of daily life
Prosthetist/Orthotist
Speech – Language Pathologist
Social Worker
Rehabilitation Nursing
Psychologist
Recreational Therapy
Vocational Counselor
Medical Doctors of other specialties
The physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department is composed of several sections:
Physiotherapy Section
Occupational Therapy Section
Prosthetic/Orthotics Section
Special Education Section
Speech Therapy Section
It is the policy of the PM&R department to provide high quality, evaluation and treatment to services to all in and out patients.
The objectives depends of course on the condition being treated, although many factors enter into decisions as to type of therapy to be employed. In general all objectives are stated in terms of increasing or restoring the ability of the patient’s body or any of its part to perform normal functional activities.
Purpose:
To assist in diagnosis, recovery and rehabilitation of patients with neuromuscular, orthopedic and other disabilities through physical means as exercise, heat, hydrotherapy, electrotherapy and assistive devices, training, recreational, vocational and educational programs, speech and occupational therapy. The prime goal is to prevent disability, to restore patient’s functional capacities to an optimum level and to assist them to maintain that level. A planned integrated program for convalescent care stressing activity as an adjunct to definitive treatment can reduce the period of hospitalization, offset the deconditioning phenomenon of bed rest and prevent the harmful psychological after effects which often result from extended hospitalization.
Responsibilities:
A Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program in a medical care institution is an organized system of integrated and coordinated rehabilitation services. The services appropriate to a particular program are those required to fulfil rehabilitation objectives established for the institution. Thus the coordination of the combined efforts of personnel of all services of the hospital having contact with the patient is the ultimate objective of the total treatment program.
The functions of the department:
Contributing to the more prompt recovery and shorter hospital stay of the patient with acute medical or surgical conditions through diagnostic techniques and specialized therapy.
Assisting the long term or handicapped patient in adjusting to the demands of an appropriate post hospital economic and social environment in order to reduce the possibility of re-admission.
Helping the patient whose discharge is improbable to achieve a measure of independency within the hospital.
Directing all therapies and services to achieve patient’s maximum functioning in relation to their disabilities.
These functions are achieved through the various forms of Physical, Occupational and Specialized Therapies that have evolved over the past several years.
A well designed program of Rehabilitation Medicine aims to restore function to the patient’s maximum capability, to evaluate the degree of impairment and the extent of residual capacity for social and economic activities and to furnish and reinforce practical and effective motivation for rehabilitation family and relative counseling and training in continued patient care and support are a definite department responsibility.
Other department functions include providing clinical and consultative services, preparing and submitting reports and maintaining records as required.
The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department offers services for all in and out patients in Hamad General Hospital (HGH), Rumailah Hospital, Women’s Hospital, Psychiatry and OPD Annex. Our doctors hold outpatient clinics in HGH twice a week, RH three times a week and Annex twice a week and they share the supervision of in-patients in RH.
The PM&R department accepts consultation from all other departments and deals with it accordingly. The nucleus of Rehabilitation services is medical staff: Consultant A, Senior Specialist, Specialist & Resident.
Staff trained in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics and Social work.
Locations where department services are provided are
as follows:
HGH female physiotherapy for female in and out patients
HGH 4 Th. Floor for male in-patients physiotherapy
HGH intensive care units
Women’s Hospital for in-patients
OPD annex for male out-patients
OPD annex for male hydrotherapy
Rumailah Hospital ( RH ) Children’s Rehabilitation Unit
RH Burns unit in-patients
RH male in and out patients
RH female in and out patients
RH Male, Female and Pediatric Occupational Therapy for in patients
HGH male, female & pediatric Occupational Therapy for in patients
HGH Children’s Occupational Therapy Play Rooms "Pediatric department"
Psychiatric Hospital, Occupational Therapy female and male, in and out
patients
RH for male, female and Pediatric Prosthetic/Orthotics in and out patients
RH for Speech Therapy, male, female and Pediatric in and out patients
HGH Speech Therapy for in patients
It must be noted that above 50% of the patients treated in PM&R Depart, are for Physiotherapy alone. Hence a separate centre for this service is feasible and justified.
All Nationals Health Services consider that the future
planning concerning physiotherapy services, patients under the new trend
will be:
Very young
Very old
More in preventative car than curative
Low back pain patients
HMC is going to establish a new Physiotherapy centre. With this centre we will once again be in accordance with prognosticated out of the hospital services.
Strengths:
Qualified and experienced doctors "4"
Qualified Staff " Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy "
Well equipped department
Ability to invite experts
Ability to attend courses, seminars or conferences abroad
Weaknesses:
Shortage of staff
Shortage of qualified staff in Prosthetic/Orthotics Dept
Lack of Specialized Therapist in some fields of Rehabilitation
Lack of facilities for in patients treatment
Far appointment for out patients
Sharing the in patients bed for Rehabilitation with the Geriatric Dept
Department Plans are:
To have a separate Physiotherapy Centre for male and
female out-patient
To have separate in-patient beds
To have space for Occupational Therapy in HGH
To increase the number of out-patient clinics
To open a new clinic for Physiotherapy in a different area in Qatar
To encourage Qatari citizens to be more involved in the department
To have Qatari doctors
To increase the number of staff
To recruit specialized Therapist in some field of Rehabilitation
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