Physical therapy
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Numerous tools and individual items have been proposed to assess the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The frequency of use of these items varies according to health area, which suggests a lack of agreement regarding their relevance to trial quality or risk of bias. ⋯ To the authors' knowledge, this is the first factor analysis to explore the underlying component items used to evaluate the methodological quality or risk of bias of RCTs in physical therapy. The items and factors represent a starting point for evaluating the methodological quality and risk of bias in physical therapy trials. Empirical evidence of the association among these items with treatment effects and a confirmatory factor analysis of these results are needed to validate these items.
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The US Public Health Service (USPHS) recommends tobacco cessation counseling (TCC) training for all health care professionals. Within physical therapist practice, smoking can have adverse effects on treatment outcomes in all body systems. In addition, people with physical disabilities have a higher smoking prevalence than the general population, creating a strong need for tobacco cessation among physical therapy clientele. Therefore, TCC training is an important component of entry-level physical therapist education. ⋯ There is a need for TCC training in entry-level physical therapist education. Inclusion may be facilitated by addressing perceived barriers toward TCC as a component of physical therapist practice and promoting the relevance of TCC as it relates to intended outcomes of physical therapy interventions.
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Observational Study
AM-PAC "6-Clicks" functional assessment scores predict acute care hospital discharge destination.
Physical therapists and occupational therapists practicing in acute care hospitals play a crucial role in discharge planning. A standardized assessment of patients' function could be useful for discharge recommendations. ⋯ This study provides evidence of the accuracy of "6-Clicks" scores for predicting destination after discharge from an acute care hospital.