The PTJ Podcast

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette asks Dr. Sahrmann to elaborate on her thought-provoking Point of View in a conversation that acknowledges some of the differences of opinion and controversies surrounding this vital topic. What are the relationships between diagnostic labels and the critical issues that face the profession as it begins its second century—issues such as variability in practice, documentation burden, defining effective treatment strategies, and, ultimately, the success of patient outcomes? Dr. Sahrmann is author of “Defining Our Diagnostic Labels Will Help Define Our Movement Expertise and Guide Our Next 100 Years.” https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article/101/1/pzaa196/5943786

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette spotlights a Point of View on the effect of student debt on the next generation of physical therapists, and Dr. Ambler provides insights and data. How big is the problem—and what steps might be taken at the system level to make sure that education is being delivered efficiently as well as supporting the future development of the profession? Dr. Ambler is coauthor of “Return on Investment in Physical Therapy: Professional Tension.”

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette and Dr. Gustavson discuss the design and implications of an implementation study involving 2 nonrandomized independent groups (usual care and high intensity) staged within a single skilled nursing facility using the i-STRONGER (IntenSive Therapeutic Rehabilitation for Older Skilled NursinG HomE Residents) program. Dr. Gustavson is coauthor of “Application of High-Intensity Functional Resistance Training in a Skilled Nursing Facility: An Implementation Study.”

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette and Dr. Johnson address topics including impact of value-based care and the variability among outcomes and costs, identifying the target populations that will benefit from inpatient rehabilitation, and the need for readers to understand some of the challenges and limitations of using large, complex data sets in research.  Dr. Johnson is coauthor of “Physical Function in the Hospital Is Associated With Patient-Centered Outcomes in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility.”

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette and Dr. Magel highlight some impactful, and some surprising, associations found by this study—and what the next steps for researchers should be. Based on the findings, comments Dr. Jette, “if I was a payer, I’d want to figure out how to get people…to PT right away.” Dr. Magel is coauthor of “Time Between an Emergency Department Visit and Initiation of Physical Therapist Intervention: Health Care Utilization and Costs.”

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette talks with Dr. Zadro about his systematic review of an important area that is often overlooked. One of Dr. Jette’s questions for Dr. Zadro: “Why do you think there’s so much care that’s not evidence-based that’s continues to be provided by our professionals?” Dr. Zadro is coauthor of “Effectiveness of Implementation Strategies to Improve Adherence of Physical Therapist Treatment Choices to Clinical Practice Guidelines for Musculoskeletal Conditions: Systematic Review.”

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette interviews Dr. Vitacca about his multicenter randomized controlled trial involving a unique set of patients. Dr Vitacca is coauthor of “High-Flow Oxygen Therapy During Exercise Training in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Chronic Hypoxemia: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.” https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/100/8/1249/5823911

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette interviews Dr. Davenport, who provides a population health perspective and actionable suggestions for clinicians. He notes that “even back in 1999, Boissonnault found that over a quarter of patients had a prescription for narcotics in outpatient physical therapy practice, so… the risk for opioid addictions in the average physical therapy outpatient waiting room is potentially higher than out in the general community.” Dr. Davenport is coauthor of “Navigating the Intersection Between Persistent Pain and the Opioid Crisis: Population Health Perspectives for Physical Therapy.” https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/100/6/995/5771046

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette and Dr. Harbourne explore the importance of fidelity measures in rehabilitation. “Measuring how faithful you are to your approach can really guard against deviating from the delivery of the intervention…. You have to have a process to keep evaluating that throughout the time you are delivering that intervention. You want make sure that whatever you’re delivering as your target intervention is different from whatever else is being delivered.” Dr. Harbourne is coauthor of “What Really Works in Intervention? Using Fidelity Measures to Support Optimal Outcomes.” https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/100/5/757/5707307

Editor-in-Chief Alan Jette interviews Dr. Gailey about his pilot randomized controlled trial to determine whether an evidence-based rehabilitation program would improve function in people with unilateral transtibial amputation who had already completed physical therapy and prosthetic training. Statistics have shown that less than 12% of people with amputations receive rehabilitation that targets impairments and activity limitations; this study makes a compelling argument for such programs for this complex population. Dr. Gailey is coauthor of “Effectiveness of an Evidence-Based Amputee Rehabilitation Program: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.” https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article/100/5/773/5707560