Finding a Quality Physical Therapist: How Do Americans Evaluate Quality

I recently read a report based on a survey, conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, that Americans do not think that information about the quality of health care providers is easy to come by, and they lack trust in information sources that tend to produce such indicators. It also revealed that when it comes to what being a quality health care provider means, there is a disconnect between how experts and consumers define it. The survey found that most Americans focus on the doctor-patient relationship and interactions in the doctor's office, with fewer thinking about the effectiveness of treatments or their own health outcomes. Further, individuals report that they value provider quality over cost and are willing to pay more for higher-quality doctors, but when asked directly in the survey, few report having done so.

http://www.apnorc.org/PDFs/Finding%20Quality%20Doctors/Finding%20Quality%20Doctors%20Research%20Highlights.pdf

 "When Americans are asked to volunteer what they think is the most important factor that makes a high-quality doctor, responses vary widely but mostly focus on doctor-patient relationships and personality (59 percent), rather than on the delivery of care or the patient's own health outcomes (29 percent). Most frequently, Americans say that a quality doctor listens, is attentive, or shows interest in them (18 percent). Other top responses focus on doctor-patient interactions and their traits, including that the doctor has a caring attitude (8 percent), good bedside manner (8 percent), various other positive personality traits (7 percent), and time spent with patients (5 percent). Relating to the delivery of care or patients' own health outcomes, 11 percent values most a doctor's ability t accurately diagnose and fix their health problem, and percent mention a knowledgeable doctor".

So this got me thinking, would the same survey given to Americans who have had #physicaltherapy have the same findings. I tend to think that it would, however I also think that the number for patients/clients who relate positive outcomes to quality #pt would be higher than with physicians.

Patient's come to physical therapy expecting pain relief and functional improvement, however the power of listening, being attentive and showing interest in a patient both personally and clinically is very powerful. Over the years I have had many patients who have failed physical therapy due to more severe underlying pathology, had surgery, and then returned rather happily to PT with me. I attribute this to a strong trusting relationship that was built during our treatment sessions which happen through active attentive listening and a caring attitude.

Physical therapists' have the opportunity and advantage as compared to other health care professionals when it comes to building a trusting relationship. First of all, we typically spend at least 30 minutes with our patients giving us plenty of time to first listen and then counsel and treat. Secondly, we have more frequent follow up visits to implement our plan of care. Unfortunately insurance and reimbursement constraints have led to the practice of "volume scheduling" leaving less time for attentive listening.

Every human being wants to feel important and heard, especially when dealing with a health issue. #Physicaltherapists are by training, as are physicians, good listener's, however projecting a caring attitude and good bedside manners are traits that generally cannot be taught, they are innate.

Eric W. Krell, PT, DPT, BScPT, MTC
Co-owner Rocky Mountain Spine and Sport, LLC
follow @EKrellDPT