Identification of intervention categories for aquatic physical therapy in pediatrics using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth: a global expert survey.
Javier Güeita-Rodríguez, Francisco García-Muro, Beatriz Cano-Díez and 3 others
PMID 28579189WHAT IT FOUND
Aquatic physical therapists agreed on functioning categories they target in children, especially gait, body position, joint movement, muscle tone, and family support.
This is expert agreement, not evidence that aquatic therapy works.
Key findings
01Ninety-eight experts agreed to participate and received the survey, and 69 aquatic physical therapists participated in at least one round.
02Experts reached at least 80% consensus on 41 body function categories in at least one diagnostic group, and gait pattern functions reached 100% consensus throughout all four groups.
03Changing basic body position reached 100% consensus in all four groups; maintaining a body position, transferring oneself, and walking reached at least 80% consensus in all four groups; and family-related environmental factors reached 80% consensus throughout all four groups, with family attitudes the most frequent barrier in three groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Experts were recruited non-randomly from professional lists and article authors, so the group may not represent all aquatic physical therapists worldwide. The African region had no participants, so the consensus may not reflect therapists from that region. The agreement threshold was chosen for practical reasons and may be arbitrary. The study asked experts what they believe aquatic therapy targets; it did not measure child outcomes. Some diagnostic groups had very few respondents, so their consensus is less stable.
Declared interests
The study was supported by a research award from the Colegio Profesional de Fisioterapeutas de Madrid, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that aquatic physical therapy improves gait, tone, or participation. It is expert consensus on categories therapists believe are relevant, not patient outcomes.