Physical therapy education in family practice residency programs

This study investigated the role and extent of physical therapy education in family practice residency programs. Physical therapy is not specifically included in graduate curricula guidelines, and the literature contains little information on its involvement in programs.

A questionnaire was developed to determine how physical therapy education is taught in family practice residencies. The questionnaire was mailed to all (391) directors of US-accredited family practice residency programs.

A total of 256 directors (65.5%) responded. The majority of directors (67%) stated that there was a significant need for the physical therapy component. Only 52% (133/256), however, included physical therapy in their curricula. Physical therapy education was most frequently (67.6%, 92/136) included in required rotations (eg, orthopedics) and taught mostly by hospital-based physical therapists (77.0%, 104/135) or subspecialists (55.6%, 75/135).

This study shows that physical therapy education offers a potentially relevant and important element of family practice residency training, but it has been underemphasized.