How is AI transforming physical therapy?

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The physiotherapists of today’s generation do more than just treat their patients. They have a lot on their shoulders, whether giving personalized care to patients or handling staff and the documentation processes.

Did you know, in the earlier days of physiotherapy, treatment plans were made manually, and patient progress could not be tracked. However, as we have seen in recent times, things have changed since the introduction of AI.

As reports suggest, AI has brought a significant shift in the world of physiotherapy. It is helping clinics save time by automating major tasks, and also helps clinics make better decisions for business growth.

In this blog, we’ll dive into how AI is reshaping physical therapy, making it more efficient and more personalized.

What Physiotherapy looked like before AI stepped in

Back in those days, everything was done manually at physiotherapy clinics. Maintaining records manually, scheduling appointments offline, and having no measures for tracking patient progress. Times were difficult back then for physiotherapists.

Here are some common issues physiotherapists had to face before the introduction of AI:

1) More time spent on admin tasks

Rather than spending time on treating patients, more time was spent on maintaining records and prescriptions manually. This took up a majority of their time, which resulted in a disappointing experience for patients as well.

2) Low patient engagement and inconsistent follow-ups

As physiotherapists had to spend most of their time on tasks, this resulted in frequent patient drop-outs, and new patients could not be entertained. All these factors gave rise to slower progress of patients and a lack of follow-ups.

3) Unable to track patient progress

To analyze patient progress back then, physiotherapists had to rely on guesswork or handwritten notes, which resulted in inefficiency. This made it harder to adjust treatments of patients according to their progress, reducing the overall efficiency of the clinic.

4) Outdated Tools slowed everything down

In many clinics, tasks were still handled in the old-fashioned way. Either they used outdated software or none at all. Simple tasks like scheduling an appointment or generating invoices became as difficult as breaking rocks.

5) Lack of data-related insights

Now, since physiotherapists did not have enough tools to gather and analyze patient-centric data, all they could do was just guess. Is the treatment plan working appropriately for the patient? Can any improvements be made?

There were no answers to these questions.

All these factors raised questions about the efforts of physiotherapists, but if one looks at the reality, it was due to a lack of technological advancements.

How is AI solving these issues?

After the introduction of AI, things started to change for physiotherapists. They gained access to smarter tools that saved time, tracked progress, and formulated personalized treatment plans for patients.

1) AI for Appointment scheduling and automated reminders

This has also proved to reduce patient no-shows at clinics. Patient no-shows at clinics can cause a major hit on revenue generation and reputation.

As seen in recent times, with the help of AI for smart scheduling and reminders, one doesn’t have to spend hours on phone calls, reminding patients about their appointments or scheduling appointments manually. This can significantly help in reducing patient no-shows, as patients sometimes miss their appointments due to a lack of reminders. Well, physiotherapists can really focus on what matters the most, which is patient care.

2) AI for Notes and Documentation purposes

Earlier, physiotherapists used to spend hours on writing notes and prescriptions manually. Thanks to the introduction of AI, physiotherapists can generate notes within minutes. AI can automatically generate detailed notes and even update patient records based on the session’s progress. This means less time spent on paperwork and more time interacting with patients, plus better accuracy in tracking patient history.

3) Data-driven progress tracking

Looking back in time, patient progress was judged by physiotherapists' guesswork. However, it has been observed that the beginning of AI in Physical Therapy has brought a significant shift in the way physiotherapists interpret data. They have been able to gather data based on each session and can easily measure the patient’s progress.

This not only improves the decision-making process but also makes the treatment more personalized, as the treatment plans can be altered according to how fast the patient is recovering.

4) Chatbots for patient support

The invention of chatbots has proved that AI isn’t just useful during physiotherapy sessions but also when patients are at home. Chatbots can be beneficial to answer basic queries of patients, remind them about performing exercises, and even track their progress. This maintains a healthy environment, keeping the patients engaged even outside the clinics.

The Future of Physical Therapy with AI

In recent times, it has been observed that AI has emerged to be the savior of physiotherapy practices. It is turning physiotherapy into something faster, smarter, and more efficient. It helps therapists save time, work better, and give more attention to their patients.

1) Smarter and Faster recovery predictions

It is a fact that every patient heals at their own pace, depending on various factors. AI can help you spot those factors and create a personalized treatment plan according to the needs of the patient. It will also depend on how fast he/she is recovering and can also give an estimated period about how long the recovery will take.

2) Real-time feedback with smart devices

Earlier, it used to seem like a dream to have someone constantly monitoring you while you do your workouts or exercises. But AI has made this dream come true with the help of smart devices like fitness bands, mobile-based applications, and remote monitoring tools. It can issue alerts when detecting your motion activity, or some irregularities related to your blood pressure or heart rate.

3) Virtual care at home

With the help of remote monitoring, AI has helped make physiotherapy personalized for every patient. Irrespective of the location, wherever you are doing your exercises, AI-powered applications can guide your movements and send you reminders that keep you ahead on the road to recovery.

4) AI as your helping hand

The main question that arises in everyone’s mind is, “ Will AI replace physiotherapists?” The answer is “No.” AI will help physiotherapists in making their practice smarter, better, and faster. It takes care of routine tasks like tracking progress, sending reminders, or answering basic questions.This gives physiotherapists more time to focus on what they do best

Conclusion

Traditional physiotherapy methods were all about manual processes and constantly being stuck between paperwork, patient care, and taking follow-ups from patients. Physiotherapists were not able to treat patients when they needed it the most.

But AI has made a 360-degree shift in the way physiotherapy functions. With the correct tools, the tasks that took hours earlier can now be finished within minutes. At the end it’s not about AI used in physical therapy replacing physiotherapists, but it’s about giving the support they need, which will give them more time to focus on patient care.

With the help of +Physio, an all-in-one AI-powered platform, you can generate invoices, schedule appointments, and send automated reminders within minutes. So, if you’re feeling stuck with outdated systems, +physio might be the perfect solution for you.

FAQs

1. Is AI helpful for small clinics, or is it just for big clinics?

AI tools are helpful for clinics of all sizes. In fact, solo physiotherapists often see the biggest benefits of AI in physiotherapy because they’re juggling everything on their own. Tools like +Physio are designed to support both solo and multi-provider clinics

2. How does AI help in reducing a clinic’s overall costs?

It is a general perception that involving advanced technology will cost you more. But AI can significantly help in lowering your operational costs by automating your admin tasks, engaging more patients, and improving the patient retention rate. All these factors contribute to generating more revenue.