Availability, usage, and factors affecting usage of electrophysical agents by physical therapists: a regional cross-sectional survey.
Yuichi Abe, Ah-Cheng Goh, Kei Miyoshi
PMID 27942126WHAT IT FOUND
In Nagano, PTs reported that hot packs, ultrasound, low frequency current and traction were available, but confidence in many agents was low.
Equipment access, past experience and research evidence were top factors reported as influencing usage.
Key findings
01Hot packs were available to 88% of PTs, and 75% reported being confident or definitely confident with them; no other modality had more than 50% reporting confidence.
02The factors most often reported as positively influencing usage were equipment availability (80%), past experience (79%), and research evidence (78%).
03For 19 of the 22 modalities, higher reported confidence went with higher reported usage rate, except ultraviolet radiation, iontophoresis and magnetic field.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study reports self-reported availability, usage and confidence, not patient outcomes, so it cannot show whether any agent helps patients. It was limited to PTs working in Nagano Prefecture institutions in 2014, so it may not apply to other regions, countries, or private clinics. Questionnaires were sent to institutions rather than individual PTs, and the authors could not know whether response rate would have differed with direct mailing. Women's health and occupational health and safety PTs were excluded from analysis because none were identified. Some responses had missing data, and percentages were calculated on adjusted numbers. The relationship between confidence and usage is an association, not proof that training or equipment caused usage.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that electrophysical agents improve patient outcomes. It reports PTs' self-reported availability, usage and confidence in Nagano, not treatment effects.