Meaningful Functional Change Achieved from Physical Therapy Provided in a Student-Run Pro Bono Clinic

This study investigated whether patients with chronic neurologic diagnoses who attended a student-run pro bono physical therapy (PT) clinic achieved the minimum detectable change (MDC) on functional measures and the factors associated with such change.

Retrospective chart review included 71 patients with a primary diagnosis of stroke, traumatic brain injury, or multiple sclerosis from 2010 to 2014. The sample was 45% female, with a mean age of 62 yrs (SD 12.6) and mean 7.9 yrs (10.1) postdiagnosis. Second-year DPT students provided supervised weekly sessions. Meaningful functional change was defined as the achievement of the MDC on one functional outcome measure. Multivariate logistic regression, controlled for semester, was used to analyze factors associated with achievement of MDC.

MDC was achieved in approximately 70% of cases. Factors associated with MDC achievement were number of visits (OR 1.04, p<0.02) and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR 1.06, p<0.02). Factors not associated were age, sex, diagnosis, years post-diagnosis, number of medications, admission functional status, and distance to the clinic.

Weekly 60-min PT sessions provided in a student-run neurologic clinic were associated with achieving the MDC on functional measures. Such clinics may be a safety net.