INTRODUCTION TO ALLIED HEALTHCARE SCIENCES: EVOLUTION, SCOPE AND MODERN PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Allied Health Sciences (AHS) are one part of a larger group of occupations that provide care to patients through different types of services (e.g., physical therapy, x-ray technicians, etc.) and constitute an important segment of the overall healthcare workforce. This chapter will provide an overview of the development of AHS as a field, including the past, present, and future status of the profession. Throughout this chapter, the shift in how AHS practitioners provide care is presented as a transition from ‘dependent paramedical’ professionals to a new autonomous clinical profession, which takes into account the ‘solar’ model of practice used by AHS practitioners for defining professional scope of practice, competency, and educational requirements, with the relationship between all three, over time and across an individual’s lifespan. Due to the changing roles of AHS practitioners, the continued growth of the profession is directly related to the implementation of regulatory frameworks that provide AHS practitioners the ability to participate in leadership and collaboration as well as to have their practice roles expanded to provide equitable access to care and the sustainability of current healthcare systems. In developing countries, AHS practitioners face many difficulties in providing the same level of care as their counterparts in developed countries because of the disconnect in training of AHS professionals and the lack of effective regulation and licensing. In order to continue to grow and provide care, AHS practitioners must create strong regulatory frameworks, build leadership, and provide expanded practice roles to their members.