Shared Decision-Making in Physical Therapist Care for People With Shoulder Problems: An Observer-Based Analysis of Audio-Recorded Consultations.
Sijmen Hacquebord, Henri Kiers, Philip van der Wees and 1 others
PMID 40184686WHAT IT FOUND
In 100 shoulder consultations, physical therapists rarely used shared decision-making.
Scores averaged 27 out of 100. Longer appointments and therapists with master's degrees showed more patient involvement, but no consultation reached the highest level of engagement.
Key findings
01The average shared decision-making score was 27 out of 100, with no consultation achieving an exemplary effort score.
02Longer consultation duration and therapists holding a master's degree were associated with higher shared decision-making scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study only looked at the initial consultation, so it might miss shared decision-making that happens in later sessions. Therapists knew they were being recorded, which might have made them try harder than usual. Audio recordings missed non-verbal cues, which could have underestimated the level of engagement. The sample was recruited through convenience, so it may not represent all physical therapists. The OPTION-5 tool was designed for medical settings and might not fully capture the humanistic aspects of physical therapy care.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Dutch Research Council. The funders had no role in the design, conduct, or reporting of the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that longer consultations automatically improve shared decision-making. The study found an association, but the authors suggest this might be because therapists in these consultations lacked the skills to be efficient, rather than time itself causing better engagement.