Exploring physical therapists' approach to addressing home exercise program-related low self-efficacy: knowledge,...

Self-efficacy is the strongest predictor of completing home exercise programs (HEPs). How physical therapists address low levels of self-efficacy is unknown. Our objectives were to determine (1) knowledge and confidence in addressing patients' self-efficacy; (2) strategies used to address low self-efficacy; and (3) barriers.

Licensed physical therapists who are actively treating patients in the United States participated in our mixed-methods study consisting of: (1) a survey on knowledge, barriers, and confidence; and (2) interviews on strategies used to address low self-efficacy. Descriptive statistics were calculated on all quantitative data. Braun and Clarke's 6-phase thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data.

All 37 participants believed that self-efficacy impacts HEP completion. The majority (72.9%) reported addressing low self-efficacy. Barriers that impacted the ability to address low self-efficacy (Theme 1) included lack of knowledge, confidence, tools, guidance, and community resources, patients' past experiences and complexities, inability to follow-up with patients, and reimbursement. Due to these barriers, participants primarily addressed patients' low self-efficacy via communication (Theme 2) and ensuring successful exercise completion (Theme 3).

Instead of using Bandura's fours sources of self-efficacy (i.e., mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious experiences, physiological state), participants verbalized addressing low self-efficacy via communication and successful exercise completion. Thus, implementation studies evaluating strategies to overcome the identified barriers are needed.