“Interprofessional education occurs when two or more professionals learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.”
(WHO, 2010).
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What is Massage Therapy?
Massage Therapy is a healthcare treatment that is effective, well-liked and versatile. It helps alleviate the discomfort associated with everyday and occupational stresses, muscular overuse, injury and chronic pain, as well as mood disorders and many acute conditions. Massage Therapy's Scope of Practice is defined as “the assessment of the soft tissue and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of physical dysfunction and pain of the soft tissue and joints by manipulation to develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function, or relieve pain” in the Massage Therapy Act, 1991 (CMTO, 2023).
Regulation and Education
Massage therapy is regulated under the Regulated Health Professions Act of 1991 in British Columbia, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Regulation is being actively pursued in Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan. Massage therapists are usually required to complete an 18- to 36-month program in massage therapy from an accredited (or soon-to-be accredited) school, followed by registration with the College of Massage Therapists in regulated provinces.
Accreditation
The accreditation process is proceeding for all massage therapy programs in Canada, the goal of the CMTCA is to improve the quality of massage therapy education and raise the credibility of the profession and its practitioners. Many programs across the country have successfully become accredited.
Comprehensive Understanding of Massage Therapy Benefits:
Attain an in-depth understanding of the diverse advantages of massage therapy, specifically within the framework of primary care teams.
Recognize the Role of Massage Therapists:
Understand the roles and responsibilities of massage therapists.
Appreciate the unique contributions each profession brings to patient care.
Recognize the function of massage therapy within a primary care team
Integration of Massage in Treatment Strategies:
Learn to seamlessly incorporate massage therapy into comprehensive treatment strategies within primary care settings.
Patient Education and Communication Proficiency:
Educate patients on the role of massage therapy, ensuring informed decision-making and active participation in their healthcare.
Emphasis on Collaborative Practices:
Cultivate a collaborative mindset, recognizing the significance of teamwork and effective communication with massage therapists as valuable members of the primary care team.
Identification of Suitable Patients:
Enhance the ability to identify patients who stand to benefit the most from massage therapy, taking into account various health conditions and individual requirements.
Incorporating Massage into Pain Management Protocols:
Learn to integrate massage therapy seamlessly as a vital component of pain management protocols, both for chronic and acute conditions.
Commitment to Evidence-Based Practice:
Stay abreast of current research and evidence supporting the efficacy of massage therapy, demonstrating a commitment to evidence-based practice.
Professional Networking Skills:
Foster relationships with massage therapists and other healthcare professionals to construct a supportive network for collaborative patient care.
Patient-Centered Care Approach:
Embrace a patient-centered care approach, acknowledging and respecting individual patient preferences and choices regarding massage therapy.
"Massage therapists, with their breadth of scope and training, are well-positioned to contribute significantly to primary care teams. As a clinically oriented healthcare option, massage therapy is increasingly integrated with standard medical care to effectively address various symptoms." (Lebert, 2018)
The evidence supports the notion that massage therapy enhances patient outcomes and given its versatility in treating a range of health conditions, massage therapists can serve as valuable members of diverse integrative teams across various healthcare settings.
Evolving our healthcare providers to meet complex patient presentations requires members to collaborate with each other to accomplish common goals that improve the patient’s experience and outcomes.
Healthcare provider team member
Responsibilities involve recording patient care within the shared patient record, accessing comprehensive patient information, actively engaging in and contributing to team meetings, and receiving referrals from fellow clinicians.
Program/clinic support
Supports the innovation, development and maintenance of programs to match patient needs.
Educator
Both in the context of patient care and developing awareness among other health professionals of the massage therapy profession.
Research and self-reflective practices
Evaluate treatment and examine specific outcomes of the massage therapy intervention.
Evaluate patients, deliver massage-specific treatments, formulate treatment plans, and communicate findings through both formal and informal methods. Additionally, massage therapists are expected to hold a proficient understanding of the patients' conditions and associated signs and symptoms, as well as a broader awareness of the unique needs relevant to that specific patient population (Kania-Richmond et al., 2015). RMTs provide person-centered care and meaningfully engage patients in decision-making for their massage therapy care that centres the client’s unique needs, views, preferences and concerns and health goals.
RMTs
- Comply with the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA).
-Can be health information custodians (HIC) and assume an individual’s implied consent to collect, use or disclose personal health information to provide healthcare or assist in providing healthcare.
-At the client’s request, securely transfer copies of the client’s health record to another healthcare professional.
