Addressing Health Care Access Disparities Through a Public Health Approach to Physical Therapist Practice.
Jessica McKinney, Nicole Kelm, Brett Windsor and 1 others
PMID 39288092WHAT IT FOUND
This paper outlines a framework for physical therapists to move beyond one-to-one clinic care and address health disparities.
It suggests using telehealth, task-shifting, and community partnerships to reach more patients, but it does not test whether these methods improve patient outcomes.
Key findings
01The authors propose that physical therapists should apply public health strategies, such as task-shifting and digital health solutions, to address gaps in rehabilitation access rather than relying solely on traditional clinical interventions.
02Two real-world examples are described: a rural school district contracting directly with a physical therapy provider and a Dutch network of specialized therapists, both aimed at improving access and managing costs for musculoskeletal and chronic conditions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The paper does not present original data or a systematic review; it is an argument for a new way of practicing based on selected examples. The cited outcomes for the Wisconsin school district are from a single case study without a control group, so it is unclear if the physical therapy intervention caused the reductions in costs and hospitalizations or if other factors were responsible. The authors do not provide data on patient safety or clinical efficacy for the proposed population-level models, focusing instead on access and cost metrics.
Declared interests
The paper mentions a specific commercial product, the Leva Pelvic Health System by Axena Health, Inc., as an example of a digital therapeutic. The text does not explicitly state financial conflicts of interest for the authors regarding this product or the other organizations cited, but it promotes specific commercial and institutional models.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the cost savings in the Wisconsin school district example as proof that physical therapy reduces opioid prescriptions or hospitalizations. This was a single case report without a control group, so other factors could explain the changes.