Determining the current roles of physical and occupational therapists in burn care

The team approach has enjoyed great success in the care of patients with burns, and it has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality in these cases. Although the concept of the team approach is well-defined, the delineation of roles within this approach remains unclear. This study was designed to better explain the roles of physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) in burn care. With the use of a questionnaire, PT and OT responsibilities were reviewed. The results showed that OTs perform the majority of activities of daily living training, PTs perform the majority of functional mobility training, both professions are involved in scar management, and neither profession has significant responsibility for care of the burn wound itself. Role delineation occurs to help avoid role confusion and the duplication of services. The title burn therapist offers an example of unclear role definition when a physical therapy assistant uses that title to identify himself or herself. Communication is critical to define these roles within individual burn centers.