The impact of standardized balance measurement on physical therapist decision-making in acquired brain injury: a survey.

BACKGROUND: The use of balance outcome measures (OM) is proposed to enhance physical therapy services and patient outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Explore current practices of balance OM use and OM's role in United States physical therapists' decision-making with patient's acquired brain injury (ABI). METHODS: Cross-sectional survey utilizing snowball sampling, n = 373. Survey items required ranking agreement with statements on Likert scale. Multinomial logistic regression used to determine the relationship between survey answers and participant characteristics. RESULTS: Ninety-three percent of therapists reported using outcome measures with patients with ABI. Those who reported not using outcome measures with patients with ABI were significantly different on setting, primary patient population, APTA section membership, and ANPT membership. All respondents who primarily treated neurologic diagnoses used outcome measure with clients with ABI, compared to 87% of respondents who worked primarily with orthopedic clients. Comfort, equipment availability, and psychometric properties were the most frequent reasons for choosing a measure. Therapist decision-making was impacted by outcome measures; this frequency was dependent on practice setting, primary patient population, and specialty certifications. CONCLUSIONS: Physical therapists use a low diversity of outcome measures to assess balance. Respondents rated psychometric properties as more important than past published research. This is the first study to demonstrate that outcome measures play a role for most United States PTs in decision-making in all stages of the patient management model including identification of problems, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention selection, termination of services, and discharge planning, as well justifying service delivery.

Keeping it all in balance: a qualitative analysis of the role of balance outcome measurement in physical therapist decision-making and patient outcomes.

PURPOSE: The use of outcome measures (OMs) is a hallmark of contemporary physical therapy in the USA. The effect of OM utilization on patient care decisions and the results of PT services remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to explore PTs perceptions about the relationship between balance OMs and decision-making and how that interaction impacts patient outcomes, particularly for patients with acquired brain injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative study used semi-structured phone interviews with an interview guide. Maximum variation sampling was used. Thematic analysis was situated in a priori determined theory-based categories. RESULTS: Twenty-three physical therapists (PTs) from diverse geographic areas and practice settings participated. Therapists expressed diverse views on the impact of OM use on patient outcomes, but the majority perceived that using OMs improved rehabilitation outcomes. The use of OMs was related to the selection of optimal intervention type and intensity and justified continued high-frequency rehabilitation services. OMs were important to therapists' decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, PTs reported that they believe the use of validated, clinically useful OMs may improve patient outcomes.Implications For RehabilitationBalance outcome measures are considered an important tool to the optimal management of the profound impact of balance impairments after brain injury.Most physical therapists in this study believe that using balance outcome measures results in better outcomes for patients with brain injury.In this study, physical therapists reported using outcome measures in wide-ranging ways to guide clinical decisions about balance in those with brain injury.