Curriculum Information

During the module the students will learn about the role of physiotherapy with managing Life-long Conditions (LLC). The module will also develop understanding of the management challenges associated with LLC and help develop a framework that students will be able to use while approaching patients with LLC in practice. They will be able to define the varying types of classifications, aetiology, pathology, signs and symptoms, complications and associated injury relating to Life-long Conditions.
Medical, surgical, pharmacological management, pathological and radiographic testing, prognosis and the wider biopsychosocial implications of the specified condition will be considered.

The content will include discussion regarding the application of subjective and objective assessment techniques for chosen populations along will the associated management. The creation of physiotherapy related treatment plans for these patients along with reasoning regarding formulating appropriate reliable outcome measures that can be applied across a range of patients. Discussion regarding treatment implementation challenges and identified barriers to successful treatment.

Students will access the ‘Telling Stories’ website and actual patients will be invited to deliver their own stories to students. This will provide critical and meaningful context for students to fully understand the impact of LLC on the patient lifecycle.

The foundational LLC covered will include some conditions presented during the Long-term Conditions Module, that cover both categories. The module will consider the challenges facing patients throughout the lifecycle with focus on managing transitions of care, and clinical handover requirements.

Transitions of care can refer to the various points/times/ages where a patient moves to, or returns from, a particular physical location or makes contact with a health care professional. Students’ will learn the logistical complexities inherent with managing life-long conditions. Examples may include transitions between home, hospital, residential care settings and consultations with different health care providers in out-patient facilities. Students will also learn that transitions of care relates to all aspects of biopsychosocial care including views, experiences and patient needs.

Examples of healthcare locations may include (for example, hospitals, sub-acute and post-acute nursing facilities, the patient’s home, primary and specialty care offices, and long-term care facilities.

Transitional care management includes
‘ ..logistical arrangements, education of the patient and family, and coordination among the health professionals involved in the transition. Transitional care, which encompasses both the sending and the receiving aspects of the transfer, is essential for persons with complex care needs’ (Coleman and Boult, 2003).

The content will focus particularly on key transitions of care during the lifecycle of the patient as they transition from child to adolescent, and to adulthood.

Life-long Condition Examples:
- Cerebral Palsy (CP)
- Muscular Dystrophy (MD)
- Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
- Prader Willey Syndrome
- Down’s syndrome
- Autism
- Asperger’s Syndrome
Teaching time will be focused on the patient management factors and logistics. Simulated based learning will allow for students to apply their knowledge and practical skills to real world problems via simulation of an event or situation that produces the real-life characteristics with which the learner will physically or virtually interact.

This meaningful context will allow transfer of learned knowledge to application and consolidate learning.