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BACKGROUND: Student debt has become a significant problem for the profession of physical therapy. Higher debt levels can mpact mental health and professional and personal decisions. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has recommended improving physical therapy students' financial literacy, The purpose of this pilot study was to assess financial knowledge and anticipated student debt in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students entering two programs. METHODS: A financial knowledge survey consisting of 24 questions assessing 4 domains was disseminated by two methods to matriculating DPT students. Additional questions gathered demographic information, self-assessment of financial knowledge, anticipated student debt at graduation, and awareness and utilization of APTA financial resources. RESULTS: Survey response rate was 80%, with 125 students completing the survey. The mean score was 57% of questions answered correctly 61% of students estimated loan amounts at graduation to be > $80,000,46% > $100,000 and 18% > $150,000. 85% of students either had no awareness of the APTA financial education platform or had not accessed it. DISCUSSION: Scores were above those in previous studies on health professions students, but student loan literacy scores were below those of other college students. Due to the high amounts of anticipated education debt, DPT programs should increase awareness of APTA financial education resources and incorporate financial literacy education into their curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

* OBJECTIVE: There is no consensus for how to use rehabilitation visits after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We sought to develop expert recommendations for outpatient rehabilitation visit usage after TKA. * DESIGN: Delphi study. * METHODS: First, we developed a broad list of preliminary visit usage recommendations, which were specific to patients' recovery status (ie, slow, typical, or fast recovery) and time since surgery. We then invited 49 TKA experts to participate on a Delphi panel. During round 1, we surveyed panelists regarding their level of agreement with each preliminary recommendation. We conducted additional Delphi rounds as needed to build consensus, which we defined using the RAND/ UCLA method. We updated the survey each round based on panelist feedback and responses from the previous round. * RESULTS: Thirty panelists agreed to participate, and 29 panelists completed 2 Delphi rounds. The panel reached consensus on recommendations related to visit frequency, visit timing, and the use of telerehabilitation. The panel recommended that outpatient rehabilitation should begin within 1 week after surgery at a frequency of 2 times per week for the first postoperative month regardless of recovery status. The panel recommended different visit frequencies depending on the patient's recovery status for postoperative months 2 to 3. The panel agreed that telerehabilitation can be recommended for most patients after TKA, but not for patients recovering slowly. * CONCLUSION: We used the Delphi process to develop expert recommendations for the use of outpatient rehabilitation visits after TKA. We envision these recommendations could help patients decide how to use visits based on their own preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While physical therapy may help improve function and quality of life in patients with neurofibromatosis (NF), a standard of care remains to be established. This case report describes the physical therapy management of an individual with NF who was at high fall risk. A 61-year-old male with NF and multiple comorbidities was determined to be at high fall risk by the Dynamic Gait Index, Berg Balance Scale, and Modified Falls Efficacy Scale. Deficits included coordination and strength which limited his ability to ascend and descend stairs or walk on uneven terrain. This reduced his independence at home and in his rural community. Interventions incorporated components of hip and trunk coordination, and addressed balance, strength, and functional mobility. The patient scored above the cutoff for high fall risk on all outcome assessments. This case report describes physical therapy management to reduce fall risk for an individual with NF. Due to the limited research on NF, the treatment plan was developed using evidence-based practice for fall-risk reduction in other neurological disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this commentary is to bring attention to patient safety in physical therapy, especially to the system factors that contribute to error, and to advocate for improving methods of reducing patient harm by increasing focus on a systems approach. Healthcare delivery is a complex undertaking with multiple individuals working to provide the best care in technically challenging environments. This, combined with human fallibility, makes error inevitable. However, error does not have to result in patient harm. Historically, patient safety efforts in physical therapy have focused on the individual provider. Research shows that most patient harm occurs because of a recurrent set of circumstances and system conditions rather than solely the error of one provider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]