pm-physio

Explain a condition, a scan result, or why movement helps, in language that reduces fear instead of adding to it — the reframe, the honest uncertainty, and the analogy that does not accidentally frighten. Use when asked to explain a diagnosis to a patient, explain scan findings, reassure someone who is afraid to move, or write patient-facing education material. Produces the explanation in plain language, the reframe of frightening terminology, the honest uncertainty statement, the what-you-can-do section, and a teach-back check. A communication framework for a licensed clinician; the clinical content is theirs.

Write a physiotherapy discharge summary that closes the episode properly — outcomes against the goals that were set, what the patient is leaving with, what would bring them back, and what the referrer actually needs to know. Use when asked to write a discharge summary, close an episode of care, write to a referrer at discharge, or discharge a patient who has not fully recovered. Produces the outcome summary against baseline, the self-management plan, the flare-up and return criteria, the referrer letter, and the record of incomplete goals. A documentation framework for a licensed clinician.

Structure a physiotherapy initial assessment so the subjective drives the objective and the plan follows from both — the history that localises the problem, the red and yellow flags screened deliberately, and goals set in the patient's own terms. Use when asked to structure a physio initial assessment, write an assessment template, document a first appointment, or improve subjective examination. Produces the subjective structure, the flag screen, the objective examination plan, the working hypothesis with competing explanations, and patient-centred goals. A documentation framework for a licensed clinician.

Write a physiotherapy progress note that shows clinical reasoning rather than attendance — what changed against the reassessment markers, what that means for the hypothesis, and what the plan does next. Use when asked to write a progress note, document a follow-up appointment, justify continued treatment to a funder, or when notes read as a list of what was done. Produces the reassessment against markers, the interpretation, the plan change with its reason, the objective-measure trend, and the discharge trajectory. A documentation framework for a licensed clinician; the clinical content remains theirs.

Design a rehabilitation programme the patient will actually do — dosed and progressed against stated criteria, built around their week rather than an ideal one, and with the progression rule written down so it does not depend on being remembered. Use when asked to design a rehab programme, prescribe exercises, progress a rehabilitation plan, or when a patient is not doing their exercises. Produces the programme by phase, the dosage and progression criteria, the adherence design, the reassessment schedule, and the patient-facing version. A structuring framework for a licensed clinician; it prescribes nothing for any individual patient.

Set criteria-based return-to-activity milestones so the decision rests on what the patient can demonstrate rather than on how long it has been — the test battery, the thresholds, the graded reintroduction, and the honest conversation about residual risk. Use when asked to plan a return to sport or work, set return-to-play criteria, decide whether someone is ready to return, or handle pressure to clear someone early. Produces the criteria by stage, the test battery with thresholds, the graded exposure plan, the residual-risk discussion, and the decision record. The clearance decision is the treating clinician's, made with the patient and the relevant medical team.