Opinions of constraint-induced movement therapy among therapists in southwestern Ohio.

Objective: To determine the opinions of therapists about constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT).

Method: A convenience sample of 92 therapists with at least 1 year of clinical experience working in outpatient and inpatient hospital and clinical neurorehabilitation settings was surveyed. Subjects completed a self-report questionnaire discerning their opinions of CIMT during their clinical staff meetings. The questionnaire described CIMT to participants using excerpts from a recently published trial of CIMT. Subjects then responded to various statements concerning their opinions of the protocol and supplied the rationale for their opinions.

Results: Seventy-five percent of participants reported that it would be very difficult or difficult to administer CIMT in their clinics, and 83% felt that most clinics would not have the resources to implement CIMT. Additionally, more than 61% of respondents stated that managed care payers were either somewhat unlikely or very unlikely to reimburse for CIMT, and no respondent believed that it was very likely that managed care would fund CIMT. Most respondents felt that patients would experience great difficulty with the clinical session and restrictive device durations. There were 78.3% of participants who were not aware that an efficacious modified CIMT regimen was available that could overcome the aforementioned challenges.

Conclusions: Findings were consistent with CIMT trials and surveys regarding client compliance difficulties and therapist misgivings. Findings argue for continued refinement of modified CIMT regimens as well as greater educational efforts regarding CIMT for therapists.