Certified physiotherapists can now order X-rays on P.E.I.
'It's huge for physiotherapists and it's also huge for Islanders'
Both private and public physiotherapists on P.E.I. are now able to order X-rays after completing specialized training.
The change will remove additional steps for patients, according to Health P.E.I. It means physiotherapists can refer them to schedule an appointment for an X-ray without having to send them to a family doctor, the emergency department or a walk-in clinic for the same referral.
"We're going to reduce the redundancy of services. So you're not going to multiple providers looking to get an X-ray. Now you can be a one-stop shop system," said Sheila MacMurdo, the president of the P.E.I. Physiotherapy Association.
"Ultimately we're going to see earlier diagnosis, and that's going to increase how quickly that we can provide treatment and I think that's going to increase patient satisfaction."
It's welcome news to the association, which says it's been pushing for this for years, with the support of the College of Physiotherapy on P.E.I.
Both agree it should help streamline patient care.
"It's huge for physiotherapists and it's also huge for Islanders," said Jennifer Buote, the registrar at the college. "It's been a long, long journey. I'm pretty excited to finally celebrate this."
'Make a big difference'
Health P.E.I. said it first needed to switch out the system that staff used to store X-ray images for privacy reasons. That took time. Then a soft launch began in October.
So far just three physiotherapists — two public and one private — have been given the green light, but several others have completed the training and hope to be accredited soon.
"We looked at the scope of practice, what the laws of P.E.I. said about the scope of practice and what they could do," said Gailyne MacPherson, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital's director of hospital services and the provincial director of diagnostic imaging.
"We set up a fairly rigorous kind of guideline as to what we would do and how we would ensure that people were going to be imaged appropriately and imaged safely."
In most of the country, physiotherapists are still not permitted to order X-rays.
MacPherson said about 150,000 to 160,000 are requested on P.E.I. each year. She said there was concern from some about giving more people that authority, but in her opinion, the new process is simply providing better access to patients.
"These people are coming to us one way or another. It's how fast they get to us and… how easy it is for them to get to us," she said.
"This will make a big difference for patients, to have that access."
Since the soft launch, she said just three X-rays have been ordered. The small number came as no surprise to MacMurdo.
"It's not a tidal wave of images," she said. "There's this brilliant comprehensive assessment that comes before they would ever order an X-ray."
'It's a big win'
The training can be expensive, though. Both the college and the association received a $30,000 grant from the Department of Health and Wellness to get their members started.
"We have about 135 members and currently we have three that are eligible to order X-rays… By the end of the month we're hoping to have about 15, and in the coming months up to around 30 or 40," said Buote.
"[It] just depends on how many people choose to take the education."
The association thinks there will be quite a few people and is thrilled the time has finally come.
"This is not big ground-breaking, earth-shaking change. This has happened elsewhere. But change is hard and it's not always palatable to everybody," MacMurdo said.
"I think this is a little win, but it's a big win, and we're very excited to see it come to fruition."