Meeting the Health Needs of Society Through Curricular Innovation in Physical Therapist Education: Examples From 3 Entry-Level Programs.

Background And Purpose: Entry-level physical therapist (PT) education programs play a critical role in inspiring future leaders to become moral change agents, capable of understanding and addressing evolving societal health needs. Social reconstructionism represents an educational philosophy focused on alleviating pervasive inequities and improving the health of society; however, its application in PT education is not well understood. The purpose of this article is to describe the approach 3 entry-level PT programs used to manifest social reconstructionism within their curricula to foster social consciousness and strengthen moral agency.

Development and alpha testing of a patient shared decision aid for prosthesis design for new lower limb prosthesis users.

Background: After lower limb amputation, several prosthesis design options exist. However, prosthesis design decisions do not always reflect a prosthesis user's needs, values, and preferences.

Objective: To develop a patient decision aid (PDA) prototype for prosthetists and new prosthesis users facing prosthesis design decisions after lower limb amputation, and to assess its usability, accuracy, and comprehensibility.

Educational competencies for telehealth physical therapy: Results of a modified Delphi process.

Background: Telehealth is becoming more prevalent in physical therapy, involving a whole host of clinical services. These services are often provided without structured training in telehealth, and no formal curricula currently exist for this purpose.

Objective: To develop a set of educational competencies (ECs) to guide instruction of telehealth-related skills in entry-level programs (i.

An analysis of interagency collaboration: Lessons learned from Colorado's early intervention program.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe interagency collaboration in Part C Early Intervention (EI) programs.

Methods: Between 18 April and 9 May 2022, 48 EI service coordinators (SCs) from 14 programs in one state completed adapted versions of the Interagency Collaboration Activities Scale (IACAS) and Relational Coordination Survey (RCS). Assessing perceptions of shared structures (IACAS) and coordination quality (RCS), these combined measures summarized interagency collaboration with 11 organizations.

Social Power and the Movement System: Why and How Physical Therapists Might Influence the Upstream Currents of Health.

Social determinants of health are an emerging focus within physical therapist practice, research, education, and advocacy as a necessary condition for movement system health disparities. Fundamental cause theory suggests that the sociopolitical environment sets the context for individuals' socioeconomic positioning, which determines the availability of resources that are necessary for groups and individuals to maintain health. These resources include knowledge, money, power, prestige, and social connections.

Caregiver Health Beliefs Associated with Use of Pediatric Therapy Services Among Children with Special Health Care Needs.

Objectives: (1) Explore the relationship between various sociodemographic factors and caregiver health beliefs (CHBs), and (2) examine whether these relationships were associated with the use of pediatric therapy services.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis using the 2011 Survey of Pathways Diagnosis and Services dataset. 4,032 children ages 6-17 years had complete data on caregiver health beliefs and pediatric therapy use.

Improving shared decision-making for prosthetic care: A qualitative needs assessment of prosthetists and new lower-limb prosthesis users.

Background: Prosthesis design is complex and multiple appropriate options exist for any individual with lower-limb amputation. However, there is insufficient evidence for guiding decision-making. Shared decision-making (SDM) offers an opportunity to incorporate patient-specific values and preferences where evidence is lacking for prosthesis design decisions.

Understanding decision-making in prosthetic rehabilitation by prosthetists and people with lower limb amputation: a qualitative study.

Purpose: Little has been published about the process of decision-making between prosthetists and people with lower limb amputation (LLA). The purpose of this study is to identify decisions and factors influencing decision-making in prosthetic rehabilitation from the perspectives of prosthetists and prosthesis users, to identify barriers and opportunities for shared decision-making (SDM).

Methods: Qualitative semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 13 prosthetists and 14 prosthesis users from three clinics in three states of the Rocky Mountain and Southwest regions of the United States.

The Critical Role of Nutrition Care to Improve Pain Management: A Global Call to Action for Physical Therapist Practice.

Unlabelled: Physical therapists have unique education in the comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment and treatment of chronic pain and its mechanisms. Recently, physical therapists have raised awareness regarding the impact of nutrition on promoting health and managing noncommunicable diseases. Robust evidence supports the implementation of nutrition in physical therapist education and practice.

Creation of a Community-Driven Decision Support Tool for Caregivers of Children With Developmental Concerns.

Purpose: Despite increasing standardization of developmental screening and referral processes, significant early intervention service disparities exist. The aims of this article are to: (a) describe methods used to develop a decision support tool for caregivers of children with developmental concerns, (b) summarize key aspects of the tool, and (c) share preliminary results regarding the tool's acceptability and usability among key stakeholders.

Method: Content and design of the decision support tool was guided by a systematic process outlined by the International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS) Collaborative.

Strengthening Population Health Perspectives in Physical Therapist Practice Using Epigenetics.

Health starts where we live, learn, work, and play. Population health represents a unifying paradigm for understanding systematic variations in health and related factors, informing integrated action, and reducing health disparities. The pathways connecting social, environmental, and structural factors and various health outcomes have been illuminated by the emergence of epigenetic and epigenomic research, further bolstering the value of population health perspectives in supporting clinical practice, community-based programs, and societal policies.

Embedding Population Health in Physical Therapist Professional Education.

Unlabelled: The future of health care professional education is moving from a focus on the individual to embrace the health of the larger society. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the connection between social determinants and the health of populations. There are frameworks and competencies to support the delivery of population health content in the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) curriculum.

What Are DPT Program Practices and Attitudes Related to Population Health, Prevention, Health Promotion, and Wellness? Results of a National Survey.

Objective: Noncommunicable diseases have increased in prevalence and are now responsible for the majority of the burden of disease. Aligning entry-level (professional) physical therapist education with these changing societal needs may position physical therapists to best address them. However, no comprehensive understanding of the practices and attitudes related to population health, prevention, health promotion, and wellness (PHPW) content among accredited US professional doctor of physical therapy (DPT) programs has been established.

Psychosocial Factors Influence Physical Activity after Dysvascular Amputation: A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study.

Background: Physical function is a common target of rehabilitation intervention to improve disability and physical activity after dysvascular lower-limb amputation (LLA); yet, the influence of psychosocial factors on physical activity is unclear.

Objective: To identify psychosocial factors with potential to influence clinically relevant measures of physical activity, physical function, and disability in light of participants' narratives.

Design: Convergent mixed-methods.

Self-Efficacy and Social Support are Associated with Disability for Ambulatory Prosthesis Users After Lower-Limb Amputation.

Background: Interventions targeting psychosocial factors may improve rehabilitation outcomes for prosthesis users after lower-limb amputation (LLA), but there is a need to identify targeted factors for minimizing disability.

Objective: To identify psychosocial factors related to disability for prosthesis users after LLA in middle age or later.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Population Health, Prevention, Health Promotion, and Wellness Competencies in Physical Therapist Professional Education: Results of a Modified Delphi Study.

Objective: Physical therapists are well positioned to meet societal needs and reduce the global burden of noncommunicable diseases through the integration of evidence-based population health, prevention, health promotion, and wellness (PHPW) activities into practice. Little guidance exists regarding the specific PHPW competencies that entry-level clinicians ought to possess. The objective of this study was to establish consensus-based entry-level PHPW competencies for graduates of US-based physical therapist education programs.

Community-Engaged Research to Translate Developmental Screening and Referral Processes into Locally-Relevant, Family-Centered Language.

Objectives: This project employed Boot Camp Translation (BCT) to engage community stakeholders in the translation of developmental screening guidelines and early intervention service recommendations into locally-relevant, family-centered messaging.

Methods: A subject matter expert provided an overview of development, developmental delay, developmental screening and referral processes, and early intervention to BCT participants. BCT participants and facilitators met in-person and via teleconferencing over the course of 12 months to co-develop locally-relevant messages and materials.

Adopting Population Health Frameworks in Physical Therapist Practice, Research, and Education: The Urgency of Now.

Chronic, noncommunicable diseases have replaced acute, infectious diseases as the leading causes of global mortality and morbidity. Efforts among physical therapists to address noncommunicable diseases have primarily focused on the promotion of healthy behaviors among individual clients. However, the strongest predictors of chronic disease are tied to where we live, work, learn, and play, our families, and our communities.

Relationships Among Perceived Functional Capacity, Self-Efficacy, and Disability After Dysvascular Amputation.

Background: Prosthesis rehabilitation after dysvascular transtibial amputation (TTA) is focused on optimizing functional capacity with limited emphasis on promoting health self-efficacy. Self-efficacy interventions decrease disability for people living with chronic disease, but the influence of self-efficacy on disability is unknown for people with dysvascular TTA.

Objectives: To identify if self-efficacy mediates the relationship between self-reported functional capacity and disability after dysvascular TTA.

Meeting Quality Measures for Adolescent Preventive Care: Assessing the Perspectives of Key Stakeholders.

Background: Health plans are increasingly implementing quality improvement strategies aimed at meeting adolescent clinical quality measures, yet clinics often struggle to meet these measures. This qualitative study was conducted to explore how efforts to meet the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) performance measure for adolescent well-care visits were perceived by a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders.

Methods: The research team conducted 26 in-depth, semistructured interviews with participants from three stakeholder groups: clinic staff with direct patient contact, health care institutional leaders, and representatives of a payer organization.

Provision of rehabilitation services for children with disabilities living in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.

Background: Childhood disability is a growing global health priority. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify and summarize rehabilitation interventions used to support children with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: This scoping review involved a systematic search of electronic databases using a combination of subject headings and/or keywords related to child disability, rehabilitation, and low- and middle-income countries.

Beliefs Regarding Development and Early Intervention Among Low-Income African American and Hispanic Mothers.

Objectives: Understand the role of health beliefs in shaping maternal decisions regarding help-seeking for children with developmental delay (DD) and explore differences between African American and Hispanic mothers.

Methods: Open-ended, semistructured interviews were conducted with African American and Hispanic mothers of children aged 0 to 36 months with DD. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by using inductive content analysis.

Influence of a Short-Term Disability Awareness Program on Knowledge and Attitudes of School-Aged Children in Southern Belize: Results of a Community-University Partnership.

Background: Little is known about the attitudes of children living in Central America toward people with disabilities or the effectiveness of a disability awareness program in influencing their knowledge and attitudes.

Objective: The study objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of a disability awareness program in influencing Belizean children's knowledge of and attitudes toward people with disabilities in the immediate short term and to describe the development of a university-community partnership that resulted in the development of a culturally appropriate disability awareness program.

Design: This was a single-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study with cluster sampling.