Journal of Allied Health最新文献

Background: Data management (DM) systems represent an opportunity for innovation in education and data-driven decision-making (DDDM) in allied health education. Understanding clinical education (CE) DM systems in entry-level physical therapy (PT) education programs could provide valuable insight into structure and operation and may represent opportunities to address CE challenges. The purpose of this study is to describe how PT programs are using CE DM systems to inform recommendations for CE DM and support knowledge sharing and DDDM.

Subjects: CE faculty and administrators were recruited from entry-level PT education programs to participate in a cross-sectional survey.

Methods: The authors designed a novel survey which included demographics and use of CE DM systems. Descriptive statistics and content analysis of narrative data were used to examine responses.

Results: The survey was distributed to 220 academic PT programs in June 2021 with 111 respondents (50% response rate). Respondents use multiple systems to complete CE tasks (e.g., placement process, on-boarding, agreement tracking, as a CE site database). Forty-three percent (n=47) use one system, 76% (n=35) of those use the same Software as a Service vendor. Eighty-six percent (n=96) are satisfied with their current CE DM system. Respondents enter data related to CE site information, CE environment, length of the CE experience, and accreditation-required clinical instructor information. Ninety-four percent (n=93) and 70% (n=70) extract data to make decisions about the placement process and curriculum, respectively.

Conclusion: While variability across CE DM systems presents a challenge, survey respondents indicated common practices related to functionality, data entry, and extraction. Clinical education DM systems house critical data to address challenges in CE. Strategies to improve accessibility and use of this data to support DDDM should be explored.

Background: Range of motion (ROM) measurement is an important part of physical therapy assessment and patient progress. Smartphones are user-friendly instruments and if proven to be reliable and valid, clinicians can use them for a variety of tasks including ROM measurement.

Objectives: To determine concurrent validity and intra- and inter-rater reliability of the PhysioMaster application in measuring cervical ROM in both Android and iOS operating systems.

Methods: Forty-five healthy individuals (age 31.75 ± 11.94 yrs; 18 men, 27 women) completed this study. Two raters measured cervical ROM, three times each, using an Android phone for intra-rater and inter-rater reliability. With an interval time of 1-7 days after the first session, measurements were repeated by one of the raters once to measure intersession reliability. Validity was estimated by one of the raters using iPhone and Android phones one at a time while 3D motion analysis (3DMA) recorded cervical movements simultaneously. For reliability, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and for validity, Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots were used.

Results: ICC values of ≥0.76 and ≥0.84 demonstrated excellent intra-rater and inter-rater reliability, respectively. For concurrent validity, correlation between each phone and 3DMA was nearly perfect for all movements (0.93 ≤ r ≤ 0.97).

Conclusion: PhysioMaster appears to be a valid and reliable application for measuring cervical ROM in healthy individuals.

Background: Patient education can increase patient engagement and positive outcomes with physical therapy treatment. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a physical therapy patient education questionnaire.

Methods: Candidate items were developed and evaluated by an expert panel for content validity. The resulting items were administered to 350 patients in physical therapy treatment, and the reliability and validity of the scale's subscales were evaluated.

Results: The final version of the questionnaire consists of 36 items that assess six education domains for patients receiving physical therapy: 1) assessment and information provision (10 items), 2) hygiene and safety (9 items), 3) patient empowerment (8 items), 4) emergency and infection control (3 items), 5) adverse event prevention (4 items), and 6) identity confirmation (2 items). The internal consistency of the subscales ranged from 0.69 to 0.92, and support for the six-domain structure of the items was supported via factor analysis.

Conclusions: The questionnaire was successfully developed and evidenced good psychometric properties for the assessment of the perceived importance of six physical therapy education domains. Research is needed to evaluate potential gaps between patients' perceived education needs and therapist education activities during physical therapy treatment.

Aims: Concerted, effective, and sustainable change in healthcare education programs is a critical step towards creating more diverse, inclusive, and equitable professions. This commentary demonstrates how one entry-level physical therapist education program, through a process of reflection, prioritization, and action, is taking steps to increase diversity, equity, and inclusivity within their program.

Rationale: This article highlights initiatives that are leveraging existing partnerships and creating new ones to reach and mentor students from diverse communities, steps taken towards a more holistic and equitable admissions process, implementation of curricular changes to intentionally discuss the social determinants of health, and engagement of faculty and students to foster personal and professional development on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. Outcomes to track the effectiveness of the strategies being used by each initiative are shared.

Conclusion: To create active agents of change, education programs must create a diverse and equitable space for students and guide them to become leaders who can transform society. Steps taken by an entry-level physical therapist education program to implement strategies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion can serve as a road map for other healthcare professional programs.

Laboratory preceptors are critical to the quality of the clinical educational experience and play a central role in developing competent future laboratory professionals. This study examined preceptor perceptions of benefits and challenges of providing clinical instruction; assessed preceptor development; and explored associations among benefits and rewards, support, development, and commitment to the preceptor role. Data were collected from preceptors across the United States using an online, self-administered, 37-item survey. From 523 preceptors contacted, 74 responded to the survey. Laboratory preceptors associated meaningful benefits and rewards with the preceptor role. Preceptors were committed to their role, but they had an overall low perception of support provided by employers and academic programs. The main challenges preceptors reported were increased workload, longer workday, and stress related to students' behavior and attitudes. Preceptors also felt inadequately developed in their role, with most having little to no knowledge of the available developmental initiatives. Lack of time was reported to be the greatest barrier to development. This study demonstrates that preceptor commitment may be increased by enhancing their development and perceptions of support. Organizations and academic programs have a collaborative role in retaining preceptor talent and increasing their commitment by effectively addressing preceptorship challenges and development.

Introduction: Doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students who experienced burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic are now entering the workforce. This study compared burnout and grit scores of DPT graduates who completed their education prior to the pandemic (Group A) with those who completed all DPT education during the pandemic (Group B).

Methods: This is a cross-sectional comparison of burnout and grit among two cohorts of graduates of an entry-level DPT program. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS); grit was measured using the 12-Item Grit Scale.

Results: Burnout was significantly higher in Group B, as indicated by MBI-HSS subscales for Emotional Exhaustion, (H(1)=14.130, p<0.001) and Personal Accomplishment (H(1)=6.781, p=0.009). There were no significant differences in grit scores between the two groups (H(1)=3.286, p=0.07).

Conclusion: Pandemic-trained physical therapists in this study were no less gritty than those who graduated prior to the pandemic but were significantly more burned out.

Impact: Pandemic-trained clinicians and their hiring managers/mentors should screen and support employee mental health.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex condition, and individuals living in rural areas often face challenges accessing the specialized care they require. To better understand the specific healthcare needs of individuals with PD in Eastern North Carolina (ENC), the present study investigated three key areas: access to a multidisciplinary care team, access to PD-specific resources, and access to resources for establishing telemedicine services. Participants were recruited through email invitations to Parkinson's Foundation members and the distribution of postcards in the region, and 106 individuals with PD in ENC completed the online survey. Only 28.3% of respondents reported access to an interdisciplinary care team, with approximately 50% stating that their healthcare provider had not informed them of the availability of such a team. Nevertheless, the quality of care received was generally perceived as high, and 41.5% of participants were part of a PD support group. Approximately half of the respondents expressed a willingness to have telemedicine appointments with a movement disorder specialist. These findings offer valuable insights for healthcare providers and policymakers in rural areas to better understand the needs of people with PD. Several strategies, including community building and increased access to telemedicine, are recommended to address these needs.

Purpose: The highest rates mTBI occurrence are seen among geriatric populations (ages ≥65), and these patients often have persistent and untreated symptoms. This study's purpose was to explore mild traumatic brain injury initial onset (mTBI-IN) and mild traumatic brain injury subsequent (mTBI-S) emergency department (ED) visit population percentages and associations with geriatric (population ages ≥65), sex, and fall mechanism of injury.

Methods: The design was a population-based cross-sectional study using data from the 2018 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). Study sample size was 261,349. An independent t-test was used to investigate mean age differences between mTBI-IN and mTBI-S. Pearson's chi-squared correlational analyses were used to investigate associations of age, sex, and fall injury with mTBI-IN and mTBI-S.

Results: The mean age of those in 2018 with ED visits suggested that age was older for those patients with mTBI-S (age mean, 50.4 yrs) than those with mTBI-IN (age mean, 41.4 yrs) (95% CI 9.77, 8.30; p=0.025). The number of visits for those aged ≥65 was significantly associated with mTBI-S (p<0.001). More males than females reported mTBI-S ED visits in all ages (p=0.022). Falls injury alone was not found to be significantly associated with visits (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Those returning to the ED for continued care after mTBI were associated with those aged ≥65. Monitoring after mTBI ED visits may need to target geriatric populations for medical management.

Introduction: Technology, distance learning, and social media have changed the landscape of physical therapy education. Modifications are needed to meet the needs of applicants and align with the current healthcare environment.

Purpose: To identify the most important factors students consider when selecting a physical therapist education program.

Methods: A survey including free response options was shared with physical therapist education program students by chairpersons and through student interest groups.

Results: 545 responses representing 46 states and all CAPTE geographical regions were analyzed. The most important factors when selecting a program were: location (65.9%), tuition (64.8%), perception of physical therapy education quality (39.1%), and national board pass rate (34.1%). The least important factors were: technology utilization (74.3%), class size (46.1%), and national ranking/ reputation (45.1%). Also, the majority of respondents preferred in-person educational delivery (94.7%). 75.4% reported program length was not a factor in applying to a program.

Conclusions: Programs should seek to meet the needs of applicants with consideration of meaningful elements in choosing a program. Students ranked "location" and "tuition" as primary considerations for choosing a program, which may be related to curtailing debt by living at home while in school. "Program quality," over "reputation/ranking," suggests the importance of a robust curriculum, which is viewed as a predictor of passing the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).

According to the National Cancer Institute, phlebotomy is defined as "a procedure in which a needle is used to take blood from a vein, usually for laboratory testing." However, phlebotomy involves more than just simply sticking a needle in a vein and drawing blood. In order to become a successful phlebotomist, one must realize that the art of phlebotomy involves utilizing the proper equipment, technique, and procedures in order to collect suitable specimens for testing. Proper collection of blood samples is highly crucial in preserving the integrity of the specimen as well as the accuracy of results. Accurate results ensure that the patient receives the proper care in a timely and efficient manner. A phlebotomist (or any medical professional who is tasked with collecting blood samples from patients) must remember several key principles regarding blood collection. One of these principles is what's known as "the order of draw." At first glance, the average person may think that the order of draw is merely an optional suggestion. Many are not even aware that an order of draw exists or see the importance of adhering to it. Nevertheless, the order of draw has an important place in phlebotomy and was established to improve the quality of human blood specimens as well as the accuracy of test results. This article will answer the following questions: 1) what is the order of draw?, 2) what are the blood collection tubes and their additives/assays?, and 3) why is it important to follow the order of draw?