Mobility Status and Acute Care Physical Therapy Utilization: The Moderating Roles of Age, Significant Others, and...

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Clinical Outcomes

Background:

• Physical therapy (PT) is crucial for acute care recovery.
• Understanding factors influencing PT utilization is key for equitable care.
• Mobility status is a direct indicator of PT need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if mobility status predicts acute care PT utilization.
• To examine how sociodemographic factors and insurance type modify this relationship.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of electronic health records from 60,459 adult patients.
• Logistic regression models assessed the association between mobility and PT utilization.
• Interaction terms explored variations across patient characteristics and insurance.

Main Results:

• Half of patients evaluated for PT received treatment.
• Patients with mobility limitations were more likely to receive PT.
• Younger patients, those with partners, and privately insured individuals with mobility limitations received PT more often.

Conclusions:

• The association between PT need and utilization varies by sociodemographics and insurance.
• Findings suggest potential inequities in PT service distribution.
• Recommendations for targeted interventions to ensure equitable PT access are proposed.