Purpose/Hypothesis: Physical therap...

Purpose/Hypothesis: Physical therapists provide thousands of interventions daily evoking cardiovascular replications in patients with known or unknown comorbiditics. The intention of this study was to determine cardiopulmonary competencies that practicing physical therapists perceive are important for safe clinical practice. Number of Subjects: In October, 2002 measure and estimates were mailed to 1000 APTA members in every part the US. The stratified random selection was based onward APTA's four geographic regions to make sure national representation of active members. With a 56% rejoinder rate, data analysis was reported forward 450 returned, uscable surveys. A majority of respondent gooded musculoskeletal as the primary practice pattern. Materials/Methods: The contemplation measured the physical therapist's perception of the importance of 72 cardiopulmonary competencies using an instrument discloseed following a procedure described through Dillman. The competencies were either task performance of a skill or an interpretation of the test/measure. Participants were asked to rate each item in succession a 5 point scale from nonessential to essential. Results: Data were analyzed and reported as descriptive statistics. Frequencies and percentages were comput onward each item. Of 72 review items, 11 items were perceived through at least 50'%) of respondent as true important or essential to the practitioner. This clump included items such as CPR Signs of Distress, and Interpretation of Vital Signs. Forty items were perceived by way of at least 50% of the respondent to be of minor importance or nonessential. This collection included items such as Pulmonary Function proofs Chest Physiotherapy, and Electrocardiography. Conclusions: The contemplate findings revealed that practitioners considered barely 11 of 72 cardiopulmonary competencies to be either excessively important or essential. Many cardiopulmonary competencies are considered unimportant at practicing physical therapists. Clinical Relevance: Many of the cardiopulmonary competencies taught in entry-level physical therapy programs were considered from practicing clinicians to be of little value. Further research should be administrationed to better define important cardiopulmonary competencies necessary for safe physical therapy practice. Additionally, if physical therapy curriculum is to throw back clinical practice, further investigation is warranted to identify differences that may exist between specific cardiopulmonary competencies and instant curriculum in physical therapy education.

P Slubbs1 M Weber1, M Ponton2. 1 University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson M 2 University of Mississippi.

Copyright Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal Dec 2003

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