Current use and barriers and facilitators for implementation of standardised measures in physical therapy in the Netherlands
2011

Barriers and Facilitators for Using Standardized Measures in Physical Therapy

Sample size: 468 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Swinkels Raymond AHM, van Peppen Roland PS, Wittink Harriet, Custers Jan WH, Beurskens Anna JHM

Primary Institution: Zuyd University of Applied Sciences

Hypothesis

What are the current use, barriers, and facilitators for implementing standardized measures by physical therapists in the Netherlands?

Conclusion

The main barriers to using standardized measures are a lack of knowledge among physical therapists and organizational issues like time constraints and lack of management support.

Supporting Evidence

  • Most therapists indicated a positive attitude towards the use of standardized measures.
  • Barriers included lack of knowledge and time constraints.
  • Physical therapists expressed a need for a core set of measurement instruments with clear instructions.

Takeaway

Physical therapists want to use standardized measures to help their patients, but they often don't know how or don't have enough time.

Methodology

The study used literature searches, semi-structured interviews with 20 physical therapists, and an online survey.

Potential Biases

Participants may have overestimated their use of measurement instruments.

Limitations

The literature study was not a systematic review, and the response rate to the survey was relatively low.

Participant Demographics

The mean age of respondents was 41.6 years, with a mix of private practice and nursing home physical therapists.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2474-12-106

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