Assignment 17: Graphic Organizer 2

Citation:

Hanson H, Harrington A, Nixon-Cave K. Knowledge Translation and Implementation Special Series.

Implementing Treatment Frequency and Duration Guidelines in a Hospital-Based Pediatric Outpatient

Setting: Administrative Case Report. Physical Therapy [serial online]. April 2015;95(4):678. Available from:

Advanced Placement Source, Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 28, 2018.

Summary/Annotation:

There are many researches conducted to improve the implications of pediatric physical therapy, but the application of research evidence is hardly used. In this study, researchers have conducted a Knowledge Translation Program, which would improve the knowledge and use of research evidence. This program was conducted in 4 clinics with a total of 18 physical therapists, but only 17 physical therapists' outcomes were used, since the 18th physical therapist resigned. The program was outlined by the identification of barriers, the use of a knowledge broker, multiple workshop and practice sessions, online and hardcopy resources, and an ongoing evaluation. The first barrier identified was the inconsistency of service among physical therapist. Since this study was not focused on the differences of knowledge and skills, researchers spoke to administrators to support the limited use of standardized outcome measures. The next step was providing assessments, workshops, books and online materials, conducting surveys and data, and establishing effective communication through staff meetings and emails. These were crucial in examining results and determining outcome measures, because without them, the research would be invalid. Researches came to a conclusion that their Knowledge Translation Program was effective and showed an increase in documentation and patient recovery. Based on these positive results, clinics should consider utilizing a similar program. Though the results were apparent, there were some flaws that were not controlled. Since the research is fairly new and has not been reevaluated, the validity of the outcome scores were not well established. Though researchers part of the KT program may reconsider this framework to create an effective program.

Potential Quotes:

"Knowledge translation (KT) is defined as the exchange, synthesis, and ethically sound application of knowledge within a complex system of interactions among researchers and users."

"Pediatric physical therapists face many challenges related to the application of the research evidence to clinical practice. A multicomponent knowledge translation program may be an effective strategy to support practice change."

"This program was conducted at a pediatric outpatient facility with 1 primary clinic and 3 additional satellite clinics, and a total of 18 therapists. Patients from birth to 18 years of age and with a wide variety of diagnoses received services at each clinic site. The 18 staff physical therapists of practitioners, including new graduates and those with more than 20 years of experience. Five individuals were board certified pediatric clinical specialists, 3 had an entry-level bachelor's degree, 8 had an entry-level master's degree, and 7 had a doctorate in physical therapy."

"Self-reported knowledge of testing and measurement significantly improved across the 4 subdomains of test selection, administration, interpretation, and sharing of results between baseline and 8-month follow-up."

"The KT program described in this case report led to improved knowledge and increased frequency of performance of standardized outcome measures in a pediatric outpatient clinic... Key factor included identification of clinical problem, administrative support, multifaceted intervention, ready access to knowledge materials, and sustained interaction with knowledge brokers (KB)."

Assessment:

This source is credible, because this was research was conducted by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The APTA is the official organization of physical therapists in the United States. Their extensive researches cost millions of dollars and are accredited to notable researchers and physical therapists -- for this research, Joseph Schreiber, Gregory F. Marchetti, Brook Racicot, Ellen Kaminski, and many more, with a credible background, participated in this.

Reflection: When I first thought about my essential question, I was focused on how a pediatric physical therapist utilizes patient information, parental opinions, and other factors to design a plan of care, but from reading this research, an effective plan of care extends to a physical therapist's practice and usage of researches conducted by the APTA. If a physical therapist is not implementing the latest research and strategies needed to treat their patients, their plan of care will be ineffective, leading to an untreated patient. With this information, I plan on extending my research and asking my mentor on how she implements new research into her practice. Furthermore, I plan of referencing to this resource when I post future blogs and present my capstone.