Inter-Organizational Collaboration: The Process of Creating a Joint Statement.

BACKGROUND: Students with disabilities benefit from a team-based approach to support their needs. Individuals from occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech-language pathology (SLP) partnered to form an interprofessional (IP) workgroup to address the topic of student-centered collaborative goal writing in the context of school-based practice. METHOD: This IP workgroup engaged in a collaborative process centered around a shared goal which integrated reflection and discussion sur¬rounding barriers to teaming, collaborative goal writing, and summarizing best practices from the healthcare and special education literature. This process required development of a shared goal, common language, and collaboration across professions and organizations. RESULTS: The workgroup process created a consensus document, the Joint Statement on Interprofessional Collaborative Goals in School-Based Practice, to provide guidance for school-based practitioners to support student success. Following inter-organizational expert review, the statement was endorsed by three professional organizations and disseminated to practitioners via their respective organizational websites. CONCLUSIONS: This paper outlines the innovative process used by an interprofessional, inter-organizational workgroup to develop and disseminate a consensus document outlining practical guidelines for interprofessional teams working in the educational setting. Additionally, this workgroup created associated professional development materials and presented them to OTs, PTs, and SLPs at a national level.

The role of physical therapists in pediatric health promotion and obesity prevention: comparison of attitudes.

PURPOSE: To identify attitudes of teachers, parents, and physical therapists (PTs) toward PTs' roles in health promotion (HP), obesity prevention (OP), and physical activity (PA) for preschoolers. METHODS: Surveys (n = 618) were distributed to preschools and pediatric PTs. RESULTS: Overall response rate was 42%. Dietitians or physicians were selected as most knowledgeable about HP/OP/PA. Teachers were selected as most appropriate to educate preschoolers, whereas PTs were identified as appropriate to educate parents and teachers about HP/OP/PA. Most respondents were unaware of PTs' involvement in HP/OP/PA. CONCLUSIONS: Physical therapist expertise is underrecognized and underused for pediatric HP/OP/PA. Parents and teachers are open to PT's involvement. Physical therapists need to improve awareness and become involved.