Course Objectives

Each course module has specific objectives to complete. These are the objectives:

Regulations

At the end of this module, you will:

Identify the philosophical trends related to PAMs and Occupational Therapy.
Outline the relationship between PAMs and the AOTA Occupational Therapy Practice Framework.
Discuss the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc., position on physical agent modality use and educational preparation.
Identify your state’s regulatory agencies which govern the use of physical agents by occupational therapy practitioners and read the rules and regulations.
Provide a common lexicon for PAM use in OT.
Provide an overview of commonly used PAMS in OT.

At the end of this module, you will:

At the end of this module, you will:

Classify types of soft tissue injuries.
Address the three phases of repair (inflammation, proliferation, and maturation).
Discuss the cellular processes occurring in each phase.
Review appropriate intervention methods based on research findings.
Describe complications that interfere with normal healing.

At the end of this module, you will:

Define the type or category of pain.
Describe primary causes of the pain.
List the factors that contribute to pain.
Discuss assessment and intervention strategies available for the pain conditions.
Describe other medical or psychosocial conditions which should influence the choice of treatment of pain conditions.

At the end of this module, you will:

List the biophysical and biophysiological changes which occur with Cryotherapy.
Identify the indications, contraindications and precautions for the application of cold agents.
Demonstrate the clinical reasoning involved in the application of cold agents.
Identify commonly used types of cold agents.
Describe the application procedures for each cold modality presented in this module.
Discuss appropriate patient education procedures for safe application of cryotherapy agents.
Discuss essential elements of documentation for cryotherapy agents.

At the end of this module, you will:

Define the term superficial thermal agent.
Differentiate between the two commonly used methods of heat transfer: conduction and convection.
Discuss the four biophysical effects of heat.
Describe the physiologic response to tissue secondary to temperature elevation.
Differentiate between mild, moderate and vigorous dosages of heat.
List indications, precautions, and contraindications that should be considered when using superficial thermal agents.
Describe the proper clinical applications for hot packs, paraffin bath, fluidotherapy, light, whirlpool, and contrast bath.
Discuss appropriate patient education procedures for safe application of superficial thermal agents.
Discuss the essential elements of documentation for superficial thermal agents.

At the end of this module, you will:

Discuss the theory and rationale for the application of therapeutic deep thermal modalities (such as ultrasound, low level laser therapy [LLLT], diathermy, and phonophoresis).
Outline and differentiate between the parameters for therapeutic ultrasound.
Outline current research trends in the utilization of deep thermal modalities.
Demonstrate clinical decision making in the determination of the appropriate treatment parameters for deep thermal modalities.
Discuss the clinical procedures for the application of deep thermal modalities.
Present guidelines for the safe use of deep thermal modalities stating contraindications and precautions for treatment.
Discuss appropriate patient education procedures for safe application of deep thermal agents.
Discuss essential elements of documentation for deep thermal agents.

At the end of this module, you will:

Identify the relationship between technical terminology and sensory responses.
Describe the biophysical and biophysiological changes associated with electrotherapy.
Discuss the available parameters of electrical stimulation devices\describe the principles and concepts of electricity.
Identify the physiological effects of electrical stimulation using alternating current, direct current, and pulsatile current.

At the end of this module, you will:

Define the therapeutic goals of electrical therapy.
Identify the physiological events associated with electrical stimulation.
Define the distinguishing characteristic and indications and contraindications of electrical stimulation.
Distinguish the physiological effects of various parameters of electrical stimulation (voltage, type, dosage, duty cycle, etc.).
Discuss the therapeutic relationship of electrotherapy with other therapeutic procedures.
Discuss appropriate patient education procedures for safe application of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

At the end of this module, you will:

Describe the clinical application of electrical stimulation in rehabilitation.
Outline and discuss the clinical reasoning process used to determine selection of NMES and appropriate parameters.
Describe the intervention parameters of therapeutic electrical currents for re-education, strengthening, spasticity reduction, FES etc.
Identify the biophysiological responses to electrical currents for alternating and direct current modalities.
Discuss the indications and contraindications for NMES use.
Identify appropriate electrode placement for various intervention protocols.
Discuss appropriate patient education procedures for safe application of neuromuscular electrical stimulation.
Discuss essential elements of documentation for neuromuscular electrical stimulation.

At the end of this module, you will:

Describe the clinical applications for iontophoresis.
Discuss the biophysiology and mechanism related to transdermal delivery of medication.
Identify common medications used in iontophoresis and their pharmacological characteristics.
Outline clinical decision-making regarding iontophoresis, indications and precautions.
Discuss appropriate patient education procedures for safe application of iontophoresis.
Discuss essential elements of documentation for iontophoresis.

At the end of this module, you will:

Discuss the following processes in pharmacokinetics: absorption, distribution, and metabolism.
Explain the processes of pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics as it pertains to routine drugs used in Phonophoresis and Iontophoresis.
Discuss the effects of physical agents, exercise, and manual techniques on pharmacokinetics.
Discuss the aging process as it relates to pharmacokinetics.