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Most research on graduate students with disabilities (SWDs) has focused on medical education. The purposes of this study were to: (1) estimate the prevalence of students with physical disabilities (SWPDs) in physical therapy programs, (2) identify common types of physical disabilities, (3) document the types of accommodations requested by SWPDs, (4) describe perceptions of faculty and students related to the impacts of accommodations, (5) describe the success rate of SWPDs, and (6) compare perceptions of faculty and students regarding potential employment opportunities and licensure restriction for SWPDs. Two surveys were created to gather quantitative and qualitative data from program directors, faculty, and students from the 210 PT and 280 PTA programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. Respondents included 190 faculty and 720 students and results indicated that there are fewer SWPDs in physical therapy programs than in all graduate programs nationwide (5%, 7% respectively) and a small number of them experience some form of discrimination. The physical disabilities encountered are mostly sensory and half receive accommodations with little impact on other students or faculty. While more programs are providing students with information on the essential functions for PTs/PTAs, more data are needed to inform the academy about factors influencing whether or not SWDs pursue careers in physical therapy, clinical instructors' and patients' perceptions, and resources used to foster success.

Changes in the accreditation standards of physical therapist education have added new levels of rigor to core faculty qualifications. This study aims to determine if any program characteristics exist that are common to core faculty deficiency citations in the 2019–2020 review cycle. Recently, more than half of all accredited physical therapist education programs (51.5%) have earned citations in core faculty standards/elements. A total of 266 Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) accredited and developing physical therapist education programs were included. A review and analysis of programs cited and programs without citation was completed in 2021, to investigate these characteristics in relation to citation status: Campus setting, Regional accreditor, Length of CAPTE accreditation, University control, Carnegie classification, Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service participant, and Program cohort size. A regression model was found to correctly predict with 91.3% accuracy when including common characteristics of campus setting, years of accreditation, university control, and Carnegie class in programs cited for faculty deficiency. Our results suggest that programs residing in a town or rural setting, accredited for ten years or less, housed in an institution with a Carnegie classification of Master's or Baccalaureate, within private institutions, and enroll cohorts less than 31 are more likely to receive citations related to the qualifications or adequacy of core faculty than their counterparts. The description of characteristics common to programs cited could provide guidance to other programs in factors that might predispose them to core faculty deficiencies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to document the work status, rehabilitation practices, and barriers to work re-entry for women who have undergone mastectomy (MRM). Three independent groups of subjects included 31 female patients who were post-modified radical mastectomy (MRM), 18 physical or occupational therapists working in cancer centers, and 5 employers who represented a diverse group of businesses. Patients and therapists completed written surveys regarding the post-operative rehabilitation process. Employer interviews focused on company policies and procedures related to work re-entry. Descriptive statistics documented patients' pre- and postoperative work status and types of problems experienced postoperatively. Responses to open-ended questions were triangulated among the three groups to identify common barriers to work re-entry. Only 20% of women in this sample did not return to their preoperative employment, and most cited physical impairments as the reason. Nearly half of these women received no postoperative exercise instructions. Employers seemed willing and able to accommodate employees who return to work following mastectomy surgery when given specific information regarding their physical and functional limitations. These preliminary findings indicate the need for additional research that reflects the experiences of a more generalized population of patients, therapists, and employers. KEYWORDS. Breast cancer, rehabilitation, functional training, work, disability

Examines differences in test-retest reliability of balance measures produced by the Biodex Balance System. Intraclass correlation coefficient; Limits of stability; Static balance tests.

Most research on graduate students with disabilities (SWDs) has focused on medical education. The purposes of this study were to: (1) estimate the prevalence of students with physical disabilities (SWPDs) in physical therapy programs, (2) identify common types of physical disabilities, (3) document the types of accommodations requested by SWPDs, (4) describe perceptions of faculty and students related to the impacts of accommodations, (5) describe the success rate of SWPDs, and (6) compare perceptions of faculty and students regarding potential employment opportunities and licensure restriction for SWPDs. Two surveys were created to gather quantitative and qualitative data from program directors, faculty, and students from the 210 PT and 280 PTA programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. Respondents included 190 faculty and 720 students and results indicated that there are fewer SWPDs in physical therapy programs than in all graduate programs nationwide (5%, 7% respectively) and a small number of them experience some form of discrimination. The physical disabilities encountered are mostly sensory and half receive accommodations with little impact on other students or faculty. While more programs are providing students with information on the essential functions for PTs/PTAs, more data are needed to inform the academy about factors influencing whether or not SWDs pursue careers in physical therapy, clinical instructors' and patients' perceptions, and resources used to foster success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to establish the interrater reliability of the flexicurve when used by novice testers to measure thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis in a community-based population. Three graduate students independently measured 51 healthy women (aged 21 to 88 years). The flexicurve was molded to the contour of the spine and traced onto a plain piece of paper to calculate the Index of Kyphosis (IK) and Index of Lordosis (IL). Subjects were measured while standing in their usual relaxed posture and again in their maximally erect posture. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to determine the reliability among the three testers. IK measures were more reliable than IL measures with ICCs of 0.94 and 0.93 for the relaxed and erect postures, respectively. ICCs for the IL were 0.60 when relaxed and 0.73 when maximally erect. Greater variability in the lumbar measures may be attributed to difficulty in conforming the flexicurve to the smaller, concave curvature of the lumbar spine and interference from some subject's clothing. Nevertheless, these findings indicate good reliability for flexicurve measures of thoracic kyphosis and support the use of this measurement when documenting clinical changes in posture or identifying postural abnormalities in community-based screenings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the effects of static magnets on the pain and functional limitations associated with chronic knee pain due to degenerative joint diseases. Reduction of pain and enhancement of functional movement; Need to determine the physiological mechanisms responsible for the analgesic effect.

The Eden Alternative™ was initiated to reduce feelings of loneliness, boredom, and helplessness among nursing home residents through interactions with plants, animals, and children in their environment. This study assessed the effects of the Eden Alternative on residents' physical, mental, emotional, and social function. Data were collected from observations of residents' interactions, ratings from selected functional indicators in the Minimum Data Set (MDS), and interviews with staff members. Data from on-site observations and staff interviews indicate that the added stimuli in the Edenized environment helped promote function among residents, particularly in the physical and social domains. However, no significant changes were found in most of the MDS indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]