PTA Reliability Essay

626 Words2 Pages

Reliability is referred in our text as “the amount of consistency between successive measurements of the same variable on the same individual under the same conditions”.1 When talking about inter reliability it is speaking to the reliability between multiple clinician’s goniometric measurements. Intra reliability refers to the measurements taken multiple times by an individual clinician. Accuracy with measurements and data collection is key in the industry of Physical therapy. As a Physical therapy assistant (PTA) it is essential to be accurate with measurements and documenting. The Physical Therapist (PT) that is supervising expects accurate information being collected while working with a PTA. The importance of having reliable skills such …show more content…

If one clinician takes a measurement with one landmark and then another clinician with differing landmarks the measurement is sure to be off and ultimately void. Wrong placement of a measurement essentially makes the measurement or data collected not valid. There are numerous variation on ways to position the patient while taking a measurement. Some patients may not be able to lay on their stomach or roll onto their side. Being able to adapt to the situation and know alternate ways to effectively collect a measurement is a required skill. Documented position of the patient during ROM measurement increases the reliability. Whether or not the PTA gathered a passive or active ROM measurement makes a measurement that much more reliable and wast to replicate. The PT or PTA that is following and treating behind you will be set up for success if you documented how you positioned the patient during treatment and especially measurements and what type of ROM was collected. The amount of time that is put into training a new PTA graduate to correctly use a goniometer when taking ROM measurements shows how important reliability is in

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