Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Physical Therapists’ Perceptions Of Barriers To The Use Of Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Intervention With Individuals Of 65 Years Of Age Or Older, Charles Agbonghae

Student Dissertations

Falls are a problem in the elderly population. Evidence-based fall prevention programs are available but physical therapists do not always utilize them. The literature identifies a number of barriers to clinician’s use of evidence-based interventions in general but there is limited knowledge of barriers to the use of evidence-based interventions in the clinical practice area of fall prevention. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers perceived by physical therapists to the use of evidence-based fall prevention interventions with individuals of 65 years of age or older. The study utilized an on-line survey of physical therapists licensed in Texas. …

Teaching Joint Mobilizations In Physical Therapist Assistant Programs: Implications For Instruction And Policy, Renae H. Gorman

Student Dissertations

This research answers the question: Are physical therapist assistant programs teaching the manual therapy skill of joint mobilizations? This study also gathers information regarding how the joint mobilization techniques are being instructed and assessed within the Physical Therapist Assistant programs. This information could serve as the foundation for future research regarding developing instructional and evaluation strategies for manual therapy skills. The findings of this study may also affect the physical therapist assistants in clinical performance of manual therapy. The findings are pertinent due to conflicting statements by the professional organizations and the accrediting agency of physical therapist assistant educational programs. …

A Study Examining Practice Style Traits Of Physical Therapists: Do They Explain Practice Behaviors And Knowledge Translation?, Kristen M. Johnson

Student Dissertations

Background: The advancement of evidence-based practice (EBP) has generated a flurry of outcome measures (OMs) and continuing education courses to assist in the creation and tailoring of this knowledge to the clinical environment. Despite the development of these resources, little is known about the attributes and behaviors of the physical therapist for knowledge translation (KT) into clinical practice.

Purpose: To determine the practice style traits of physical therapists who attended an evidence-based continuing education course on Oms and to determine their perceived barriers, facilitators, attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and prerequisites for KT.

Methods: Seventy-nine physical therapists completed two standardized, validated surveys …