Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Document Type
Thesis - NSU Access Only
Title
Parents' and Physical Therapists' Perceptions of Therapeutic Electrical Stimulation in Children
Degree Name
Master of Physical Therapy (MPT)
Copyright Statement
All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.
Department
College of Health Care Sciences - Physical Therapy Department
Publication Date / Copyright Date
1998
Publisher
Nova Southeastern University
NSUWorks Citation
Laura Pfendler. 1998. Parents' and Physical Therapists' Perceptions of Therapeutic Electrical Stimulation in Children. Master's thesis. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Health Care Sciences - Physical Therapy Department. (149)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_pt_stuetd/149.
Abstract
Purpose: To compare parents' and physical therapists' perceptions of Therapeutic Electrical Stimulation (TES) in children.
Subjects: 56 licensed physical therapists and 39 parents of children who were currently being treated with TES.
Method: Self-designed surveys were mailed directly to physical therapists to be distributed among colleagues and parents. Mean and standard deviation, frequencies, cross tabulations, and chi square analysis were performed.
Results: Agreement was found between parents and physical therapists regarding demographic data and expected goals for TES. Significant disagreement was discovered between parent/PT pairs regarding changes in tone, use of adaptive equipment, and bladder/bowel function.
Conclusion: Results showing disagreement between parents and physical therapists indicate ineffective communication between both populations. Parents may lack the knowledge or understanding necessary to discern functional changes in children. Possibly physical therapist who advocate TES influence parents perceptions. The investigation of the perceptions of TES has provided insight as to the effectiveness of this new innovative home treatment program. Effective communication between parents and physical therapists and parental involvement are essential for the successful rehabilitation of children.
Disciplines
Physical Therapy