Physical Therapists as Practitioners of Choice: Consumer Knowledge of Practitioner Skills and Training

Matthew Kearns is a clinical instructor of graduate anatomy at Daemen College, 4380 Main Street Amherst, NY 14226 and also a staff physical therapist at BrownStone Physical Therapy in Macedon, New York. ([email protected]). Please address all correspondence to Matthew Kearns. At the time of the study, Matthew Kearns was a student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Daemen College. Nicholas Ponichtera is a staff physical therapist at Greenfield Health & Rehabilitation Center in Lancaster, New York. At the time of the study, Nicholas Ponichtera was a student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Daemen College. Tony Rucker is a staff physical therapist at Jackson Therapy Partners in Orlando, Florida. At the time of the study, Tony Rucker was a student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Daemen College. Greg Ford is an associate professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department at Daemen College. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Approval from the Daemen College Human Subjects Research Review Committee was attained to conduct the study. Funding for all components of the research was provided by the Daemen College Physical Therapy Research Fund. Received January 19, 2012, and accepted February 26, 2013. Methods. A survey was distributed throughout the Western New York area at random by a mailing service. Surveys were returned by recipients anonymously. Descriptive statistics and frequencies were used to analyze and compare data. A chi-square goodness of fit test was used to determine statistical significance for practitioner of choice. A chi-square test of association was performed to assess differential trends between groups. Results. Physicians were the practitioners of choice and chosen most frequently as possessing the ability to treat 16 of 17 listed conditions. Discussion. Medical doctors continue to be viewed as the practitioner of choice for the majority of medical conditions. The public is most likely to select a PT as their practitioner of choice for an ailment of musculoskeletal origin. The public is unaware of the training PTs receive in school and the settings in which PTs practice. Even in conditions for which the public demonstrated knowledge of PTs’ abilities and training, no correlation was found in an increase rate of selection of the PT as the practitioner of choice for the condition. Conclusion. Physicians are the practitioners of choice for 16 of 17 listed medical conditions. The public demonstrates a basic understanding of the treating abilities of physical therapists solely in musculoskeletal practice, with a distinct lack of knowledge in all other areas.