Clinical Reasoning in Physical Therapy: A Concept Analysis

Area of Science:

• Clinical reasoning in physical therapy.
• Health professions education.
• Biopsychosocial model.

Background:

• Physical therapy, like many health professions, lacks a clear definition of clinical reasoning.
• This ambiguity hinders consistent teaching, assessment, and research in the field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive description of physical therapists' clinical reasoning based on existing literature.
• To establish a unified understanding for advancing education, assessment, and research in physical therapy.

Main Methods:

• Systematic concept analysis using Rodgers' evolutionary methodology.
• Clarification of the concept's attributes and their interrelations through literature review.

Main Results:

• Clinical reasoning in physical therapy integrates cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills.
• It is contextual, incorporates therapist and client viewpoints, and is adaptive, iterative, and collaborative.
• The ultimate goal is a biopsychosocial approach to patient management.

Conclusions:

• A conceptualization of physical therapy clinical reasoning, based on current literature, has been developed.
• This aims to unify understanding among practitioners, academicians, and educators.
• Further research is needed to fully develop the concept, including the role of movement.