Adherence and Barriers to Inpatient Physical Therapy Among Adolescents and Young Adults with Hematologic Malignancies.

This study described inpatient physical therapy (PT) adherence and barriers to inpatient PT among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with hematologic malignancies receiving care at a Midwestern children's hospital. Forty-seven AYAs receiving care over a 2-year period were included. PT contact was established in 93% of hospitalizations. AYAs declined an average of 34% of PT visits, resulting in PT visits on 27% of hospitalized days, 1 day less than the goal of 3 days a week. The most frequent reasons for decline included: AYA sleeping (22%), AYA undergoing medical procedure (18%), and AYA not feeling well (12%).

Documenting Physical Therapy Dose for Individuals With Cerebral Palsy: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

PURPOSE: To describe the quality improvement (QI) activities used to improve treatment dose documentation for individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) and to discuss insights gained from this project. METHODS: Global and smart aims were established and interventions were tested from January 2017 through February 2018 using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Performance was tracked overtime using run and control charts. RESULTS: The QI initiative resulted in a sustainable increase in percentage of dose elements present in the electronic medical record from 78% to 94%. Key drivers of improvement included (1) knowledge and awareness of dose, (2) clinician buy-in, (3) effective engagement of child and parent, (4) therapist knowledge of evidence-based treatments, (5) transparent and reliable documentation system, and (6) audit and clinician feedback. CONCLUSIONS: QI methods provided the tools to improve workflow and increase dose documentation for individuals with CP.

A Model for Cultivating a Culture of Continuous Learning and Improvement: An Ethnographic Report.

The importance of culture is often emphasized for continuous learning and quality improvement within health care organizations. Limited empirical evidence for cultivating a culture that supports continuous learning and quality improvement in health care settings is currently available. The purpose of this report is to characterize the evolution of a large division of physical therapists and occupational therapists in a pediatric hospital setting from 2005 to 2018 to identify key facilitators and barriers for cultivating a culture empowered to engage in continuous learning and improvement. An ethnographic methodology was used including participant observation, document review, and stakeholder interviews to acquire a deep understanding and develop a theoretical model to depict insights gained from the investigation. A variety of individual, social, and structural enablers and motivators emerged as key influences toward a culture empowered to support continuous learning and improvement. Features of the system that helped create sustainable, positive momentum (e.g., systems thinking, leaders with grit, and mindful design) and factors that hindered momentum (e.g., system uncertainty, staff turnover, slow barrier resolution, and competing priorities) were also identified. Individual-level, social-level, and structural-level elements all influenced the culture that emerged over a 12-year period. Several cultural catalysts and deterrents emerged as factors that supported and hindered progress and sustainability of the emergent culture. Cultivating a culture of continuous learning and improvement is possible. Purposeful consideration of the proposed model and identified factors from this report may yield important insights to advance understanding of how to cultivate a culture that facilitates continuous learning and improvement within a health care setting.

Implementation of a Quality Improvement Initiative: Improved Congenital Muscular Torticollis Outcomes in a Large Hospital Setting.

BACKGROUND: The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) published a guideline for congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) in 2013. Our division adopted the guideline as the institutional practice standard and engaged in a quality improvement (QI) initiative to increase the percentage of patients who achieved resolution of CMT within 6 months of evaluation. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this report are to describe the QI activities conducted to improve patient outcomes and discuss the results and implications for other institutions and patient populations. DESIGN: This was a quality improvement study. METHODS: In alignment with the Chronic Care Model and Model of Improvement, an aim and operationally defined key outcome and process measures were established. Interventions were tested using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. A CMT registry was established to store and manage data extracted from the electronic record over the course of testing. Statistical process control charts were used to monitor progress over time. RESULTS: The QI initiative resulted in an increase in the percentage of patients who achieved full resolution of CMT within a 6-month episode of care from 42% to 61% over an 18-month period. Themes that emerged as key drivers of improvement included: (1) timely, optimal access to care, (2) effective audit and clinician feedback, and (3) accurate, timely documentation. LIMITATIONS: The initiative took place at a single institution with a supportive culture and strong QI resources, which may limit direct translation of interventions and findings to other institutions and patient populations. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement science methodologies provided the tools and structure to improve division-wide workflow and increase consistency in the implementation of the APTA CMT guideline. In doing so, significant CMT population outcome improvements were achieved.