Outpatient Physical Therapist Attitudes Toward and Behaviors in Cardiovascular Disease Screening: A National Survey.
Richard Severin, Edward Wang, Adam Wielechowski and 1 others
PMID 30883642WHAT IT FOUND
Only 14.8% of outpatient physical therapists checked resting blood pressure and heart rate at every new patient exam, despite many reporting moderate or greater risk caseloads.
Lack of time and clinic policy were common barriers.
Key findings
01Only 14.8% of respondents measured resting heart rate and blood pressure on the initial examination for every new patient, and 13.0% reported never measuring them.
0251.38% of respondents reported that at least half of their caseload included patients with diagnosed cardiovascular disease or moderate or greater cardiovascular risk, while lack of time and lack of perceived importance were the most common barriers to routine screening.
03After multivariate correction, caseload cardiovascular risk and more than 20 years of practice remained associated with higher screening likelihood, while caseload age and cardiopulmonary course format were not significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only members of the American Physical Therapy Association Orthopaedic Section were included, and fewer than 10% of licensed United States physical therapists are members of that section. The response rate was 14.87%, and the survey reliability and validity were not quantified. The study analysed only outpatient physical therapists and excluded incomplete surveys, so it does not describe other practice settings or all respondents who opened the survey. Screening behaviour was self-reported by respondents, not directly observed. Many respondents had more than 20 years of practice, and the sample was weighted toward Orthopaedic Section members, so the findings may not reflect all outpatient physical therapists.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that residency training, a doctorate, or many years of practice cause more cardiovascular screening. This was a self-report survey of Orthopaedic Section members, so it can only show associations, not proof of change.