Perceptions of physical therapists toward patient education

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of physical therapists regarding their involvement in patient education. We developed a questionnaire to assess procedures or activities taught, methods or tools used, important physical therapist behaviors, techniques used to assess the effectiveness of teaching, barriers to delivering effective education, relative value of patient care activities as compared with other activities, and factors contributing to the development of teaching skills.

The questionnaire was sent to 300 American Physical Therapy Association members nationwide chosen by a random sample. Two hundred questionnaires, or 69% of the eligible responses were used in the data analysis.

Most respondents indicated they teach 80% to 100% of their patients. Nearly all respondents teach range-of-motion techniques, home programs, and treatment rationale through the use of demonstration and verbal discussion. Most respondents recognize the importance of many therapist behaviors related to patient teaching and use observation and evaluation to assess the effectiveness of their teaching. Barriers to patient education most frequently cited were psychological factors of the patient. Interaction with patients was considered most important to the development of respondents' teaching skills.

Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.