Use of quality indicators in physical therapist practice: an observational study

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 contain provisions specific to health care quality that apply to physical therapists. Published evidence examining gaps in the quality of physical therapy services is limited.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the use of quality indicators in physical therapist practice.

This was an observational study.

All members of the Orthopaedic and Private Practice sections of the American Physical Therapy Association were invited to participate by completing an electronic survey. The survey included 22 brief patient descriptions, each followed by questions regarding the use of examinations and interventions based on the 2009 list of Medicare-approved quality measures. Separate multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the odds ratios related to the performance of each examination and intervention on more than 90% of patients, given perceptions of its importance to care, the burden of performing it, and the level of evidence supporting its use.

Participants (n=2,544) reported a relatively low frequency of performing examinations and interventions supporting primary and secondary prevention (3.6%-51.3%) and use of standardized measures (5.5%-35.8%). Perceptions of high importance and low burden were associated with greater odds of performing an examination or intervention. Importance and burden were more influential factors than the perceived availability of evidence to support use of identified techniques.

The survey was not assessed for test-retest reliability. A low response rate was a source of potential bias.

The study findings suggest that physical therapists may not see themselves as providers of primary or secondary prevention services. Patient management strategies associated with these types of services also may be perceived as relatively unimportant or burdensome.