Participation-Based Student Goals in School-Based Physical Therapy Practice: Influence on Service Delivery and Outcomes.

Legislation, perspectives, and guidelines support the use of goals that address student participation in school. The purpose of this study was to determine if students with participation-based goals receive school-based physical therapy services differently and demonstrate better outcomes than students with non-participation-based goals. Secondary data analysis. School-based physical therapists ( = 109) provided services to students ( = 294) over 20 weeks. The physical therapists determined a primary goal for each student and classified this goal based on if it was ( = 181) or was not ( = 113) performed and measured within a school activity or routine (participation-based versus non-participation-based). The physical therapists documented the proportion of services provided within a school activity, on behalf of the student, and consisting of activity-focused functional activities. They also measured goal attainment and assessed participation via the School Function Assessment at the beginning and end of the study. Students with participation-based goals received a significantly greater proportion of services within a school activity than those with non-participation-based goals ( < 0.001). There was no significant difference for the remaining service variables, nor for the outcome variables. Use of participation-based goals may promote school-based physical therapy service delivery within a school activity, thus supporting best practice.