What are Allied Health Professionals?
Written by Jack Porter - Trainee Underwriter - Casualty
Allied health professionals provide essential care for people of all ages including children, elderly, people with chronic illnesses and those experiencing disability, to enhance and maintain functions within a range of settings, including:
Hospitals
Private Practice
Community Health
In-Home Care
These autonomous practitioners work with clients to identify and assess issues, provide treatment and to support acquisition of skills, recovery and reablement.
Types of Allied Health Professionals include:
Audiologists
Chiropractors and Osteopaths
Counsellors and Psychologists
Dieticians and Nutritionists
Physiotherapists
Podiatrists
Sonographers and Radiographers
Speech Pathologists
Australia’s 200,000 allied health professionals represent almost a third of a rapidly growing health workforce as demand grows across the aged care, mental health, disability and health sectors.
This can lead to practitioners being exposed to medical malpractice risks, including:
Failure to Communicate with Other Health Professionals: Failure to communicate critical information (such as changes in a patient’s status), could result in improper treatment or missed interventions.
Incorrect Dietary Recommendations: Recommending an improper diet plan for a patient with a chronic condition (diabetes, hypertension, or celiac disease) can result in worsened health outcomes or even life-threatening situations.
Failure to Consider Medical History: Not considering a patient's medical history or medications may exacerbate existing health conditions.
Improper Imaging: Mispositioning a patient or using incorrect settings during scans can lead to inaccurate images or patient harm (radiation overexposure).
Improper Use of Techniques or Equipment: Using equipment incorrectly or performing inappropriate manipulation techniques for a patient's condition could lead to further injury (torn muscles or joint dislocation).
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